Day by Day
by FireStorm1991
Summary: Life is full of moments: moments of anger, moments of pain, moments of kindness, and even moments of love. A collection of drabbles featuring the Hiei X Botan pairing.
1. Sneezy

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

As promised, here is a Hiei X Botan drabble series. To those who haven't read my other stories before, this little will be a bunch of random drabbles that can either be read on their own, or read in congruence with some of my other Hiei X Botan fanfics. Some chapters will specifically correlate with specific stories, and others could be taken either way, and can especially seem like they take place after the events of Heart Races. I may even have some drabbles from some AU stories I have written or will write. I hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to MystiKoorime for helping me with the summary!

* * *

It was a beautiful day where Botan and the girls were walking around the city. They had spent the day shopping, and now they were headed to a café where Kuwabara had taken Yukina once before on what could be considered their third, official date. Botan looked around the busy streets with a smile on her face. She had lived in Human World for years now and was very happy, especially since demons were integrating nicely with the humans. Of course, some humans were still skeptical, and they sometimes blamed horrendous crimes on the demons, but Yusuke and Kurama had been handling that. The two of them opened up a detective agency, remaining completely unbiased during all their cases. Demons were doing their best not to wreak havoc in this foreign world, for the most part. The three worlds had finally been balanced.

A breeze blew by and tickled Botan's nose. It wrinkled slightly, but Botan managed to avoid sneezing. In that moment, Yukina was talking to her about where Kuwabara was taking her for their one year anniversary. The former ferry girl smiled, happy that Yukina finally understood what love truly was. Of course, when Yukina started going out with the human, Hiei had been far from thrilled. It was something he'd have to get used to, Botan figured. After all, it had been his choice to keep quiet for so long. In an unintentional way, Yukina was getting her revenge on her brother. Botan would always mentally laugh at that, something that irritated Hiei greatly when he was tuned into her thoughts.

The wind had picked up again, and this time Botan couldn't help but sneeze. Her sneezes were always loud and obnoxious, and she nervously looked around making sure she hadn't drawn unwanted attention to herself. Really, the only ones paying attention were her friends. Yukina and Keiko had blessed her, but Shizuru surprisingly chuckled as she lit her cigarette. Botan looked at the elder Kuwabara questioningly, and the brunette looked at her with a mischievous grin. "What's that phrase you always say again?" the woman questioned. "'Sneezy, sneezy, someone special is thinking about you?'"

When the woman laughed again, Botan blushed. Sure, that expression was something she always said, but she doubted anyone was thinking about her in that moment. The only person who could be was most likely training or doing something that was more important than daydreaming about her. He had responsibilities that he couldn't ignore, and he wasn't one to be distracted. She did miss him, though, and wondered just when he'd be back.

A sigh escaped her as she thought of the fire demon. He came and went as he pleased regardless of the fact that she missed him. When he showed up, it was always a surprise ever since he had returned to Mukuro's territory in the first place. He had surprisingly returned to keep the balance between the worlds. It was in everyone's best interest, including his, that the three worlds remained united.

She tried to shake her mind free of thoughts. Any time she thought about his abrupt departures, she grew saddened. He never uttered a "goodbye" to anyone before he left, and he rarely contacted the rest of the team while he was away. Still, Botan couldn't help but think he did check up on her and Yukina from time to time.

As they entered the restaurant, Botan cast her gaze up to the sky and smiled. She wondered if Hiei ever took the time to relax and look at the clouds. Then she wondered if there were even clouds in Demon World.

* * *

Hiei found himself lying on the roof of Mukuro's stronghold staring at the red and purple sky full of black clouds. He had been in combat the majority of the morning, and once his opponents were defeated he went off to search the borders for human stragglers that wandered into Demon World. It wasn't unusual for humans to wander in, nor did the demons have anything against their foolish wandering, at least not anymore, but it was unsafe for the unsuspecting humans to inhale Demon World air. For most humans, it was poisonous. Without the demons on border patrol, it was possible they'd die.

Ever since demons and humans began to integrate in Human World, humans were less likely to slip through dimensions. Portal hotspots were identified in their realm, so there were signs of warning. The three worlds had come such a long way. There were still humans that hated demons and demons that hated humans, but for the most part things were better and Spirit World did a surprisingly excellent job of protecting innocent humans and demons from persecution. Never did Hiei ever believe it was possible.

He thought of a time where he had hated humans, their stupidity, and everything they stood for. It was before he actually saw what that dimension had to offer. Yukina loved it there, so Hiei's opinion had slowly started to change. As long as his sister was happy, that world couldn't be so bad.

Had he not entered that world years earlier, he would have never met his teammates. Sure, they had been enemies at first, and Hiei could distinctly remember his crimes against the spirit detective and his assistant. He chuckled at the thought. He never thought he'd be assimilated into an alliance, but in his current position, he was strangely thankful.

Because of that one crime against Spirit World, he had become a part of a team that had strangely enough become like a family to him. He never admitted it before, but after Yukina had confessed that she knew he was her brother, he finally accepted he wasn't alone anymore.

Sure, in Demon World he was still a loner, ruthless and cutthroat. No demon knew of his life in Human World. Only Mukuro knew of his relationship with one of Spirit World's former ferry girls.

Some days, Hiei didn't understand what possessed him to pursue the woman. She was everything he hated: kind, weak, and of Spirit World. Still, she managed to peel through his layers and accept his cruel past. Unlike the detective's woman, Botan never seemed to stop him from pursuing his ambitions. Even though he left her often to return to the demon plane, she waited for his return with open arms.

He could still remember the last time he returned. He had been gone a few months without word. It had been the longest he was gone, and when he showed up at the apartment, he found her sobbing into her hands. Taken aback, he slowly entered through the open window. Botan had heard the sound of feet touching down and instantly shot up. When her teary eyes met his stony orbs, she nearly launched herself into his arms. Apparently, she had fallen asleep on the couch and had a horrible nightmare where he had died in a fight. She had thought he was gone so long because he could never return, and because she had given up her roles in Spirit World, she did not have the ability to find out if her dream was true. After that night, where she remained inconsolable until she passed out in his arms, he settled on never staying away that long ever again, if only for her peace of mind.

He blushed at the thought of the woman in his arms. It was most likely time to head back, he figured. He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing at that moment. The demon could picture her walking around the city, most likely taking in some Human World sites. She was as curious about the world as he had become after living there from time to time. It was amusing to both of them that there was still a great deal they didn't know.

Beside himself, his nose began twitching before he sneezed abruptly. He rubbed his nose and scoffed. The fire demon rarely ever sneezed, but he only seemed to when he was away from Human World too long.

He always wondered why, but shrugged it off and took his leave. He'd be there by nightfall.


	2. Prison Break

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

* * *

" _Why did you do it?"_

Hiei sneered when a soft, questioning voice regarded him. He had been placed in a cell in the Spirit World prison while unconscious, and when he woke up he was all alone. It seemed like he was the only one on that level, but when the door opened he could hear other demons griping in cells on the floor above. He rolled his eyes before closing them once more. Solitary confinement, he figured. A smirk appeared on his face at the fact that Spirit World thought him too dangerous to even be among their other prisoners.

When he heard the door open and shut, he expected to see Prince Koenma. He figured he would be given his sentence, and he was prepared to accept it…to an extent. The moment they had someone move him, he'd strike.

He wasn't expecting to see the obnoxiously dressed ferry girl.

Hiei glared at the spirit in that disturbingly bright pink kimono. Her blue hair contrasted with her outfit and the fire demon silently wondered who dressed this woman. "Hello," she greeted sullenly.

"Hn," the demon scoffed, attempting to ignore this woman. If memory served him, she was the one with the human spirit detective that defeated him. His lip curled in disgust. What was she doing down there? It was highly improper for ferry girls to frequent the prison cells. Truthfully, he didn't care anyway, so he decided to pretend the woman wasn't there in hopes that she'd leave.

That was when her quiet voice reached him and his mood soured. He sat up abruptly and moved to the cell door. "Leave," he warned her. "You wouldn't be able to handle the answer."

The ferry girl's eyes narrowed, but she seemed more neutral than angry. "Try me," she countered. The demon's expression never changed as she sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense. I read your file. You had no criminal record before now, so why did you do this?"

Hiei turned away and walked back to the uncomfortable cot that was still more comfortable than what he was used to. "Delusions of grandeur," he joked with a laugh before he glowered at the floor. "What do you think, woman? I did it because I could."

"But _why_?" Botan tried again. She wasn't angry or upset, only curious, and the demon kept dodging her question. To be honest, she had taken it upon herself to read through his and Kurama's files while Koenma had to explain what happened to the artifacts to his father. No doubt their ruler was being punished at that very moment.

Kurama's case was cut and dry. He had only wanted to use the mirror to save his human mother. He was willing to give up his life, and then he actually came to help Yusuke against Hiei. All of that was why he was released on good behavior. Besides, it would have been hard to explain to his mother who knew nothing about the supernatural that he was going to a faraway prison.

Hiei's case was a bit more complicated. There was no motive, no explanation to why he gathered Gouki and Kurama to join his plan. If he had wanted power, he wouldn't have gotten others involved, unless he intended to kill them. However, from Kurama's testimony, he had met Hiei before as a human child. He had doubted that Hiei would want to kill him. In fact, he eluded to the possibility that Hiei had brought him on to avoid fighting him at all. He played it off as a joke, but the idea chilled the ferry girl and she decided never to get on the fox's bad side.

There had to be a reason why Hiei had gone through so much trouble to not only get into Human World, but break into Spirit World and steal valuable treasures. If she asked Kurama, all she would learn was that Hiei was planning to create an army of demons, get control of them with the Forlorn Hope, and then feed them using the Orb of Baast.

But again, she didn't know _why_.

Did it really matter? Hiei had murdered ogres to get the artifacts, and he had kidnapped Keiko and attempted to turn her and Yusuke into demons. She had tried to prevent it, using her own white magic, but she had still been wounded. She had bandages around her hands to prove it. The only thought on her mind at the time was protecting Keiko. Yusuke would have never forgiven Spirit World had anything happened to the girl.

For all intents and purposes, Hiei should have been seen as unsalvageable. He was in solitary confinement, and it was decided he would have no visitors. Yet, Botan was standing there going against protocol to get an answer to her question, and she refused to leave without one.

Hiei realized this woman was not leaving, and her presence was starting to anger him. Why couldn't she just take his crass answer and leave? She couldn't honestly think he'd confide his mind's inner workings to her. Hiei had, in fact, had a reason. To be honest, he was in search of his sister. He had tracked her down to Human World years ago, found her, but left, and now he couldn't find her. With an army of soldiers, he would have had more success in locating the girl, and if any wretched humans got in the way, the army would destroy them. Of course, the ferry girl did not need to know that.

"Nothing I say will help, so just leave it be," he demanded. "I don't care what my sentence is."

Botan was surprised that the tone of his voice softened. She wondered if he even noticed it. Either way, he was right. Most likely, he'd be imprisoned for a long time, and nothing he said would act as a defense.

There was a commotion on the upper level of the prison that distracted Botan from her interrogation. Botan could have sworn that she heard an ogre yell out, "Prison break!" She paled at the implication, for no one knew she was down visiting a prisoner. They'd seal the outer door until the demons exhausted themselves and went back to their cells.

"Uh," she murmured warily looking over to the fire demon.

He looked bored as he nonchalantly said, "Heh, well, you're in for it now, woman. What are you going to do?"

Botan honestly didn't know, but then an idea hit her. It would be a risky gamble, but for some reason she fully trusted it would work out.

She looked back to the prisoner and said, "Can you help me get out of here?"

Hiei could not believe the audacity of the question. "What do you think? Of course I can't. I'm locked up."

"If I let you out, could you help me?"

"I could," Hiei admitted, "but I won't."

Botan frowned and then sighed. "If you help me, I can help you."

"What can a weak ferry girl like you do for me?"

"I can ask Lord Koenma to sentence you to…community service. Yes, that's it. You can help us in exchange for your freedom."

"And why would I do that when I can kill you?"

"Why didn't you kill Keiko?"

Hiei remained straight-faced and didn't answer her before he released an aggravated sigh. "Fine. I'll help you get out of here, but I need assurances. How do I know that Koenma won't just send me back down here?"

"Just leave it to me," she said sincerely. "I can be very persuasive."

The demon just rolled his eyes and nodded his agreement. He watched as the woman hesitantly moved to type in some code that would release him, but her hand froze over the control panel. "What is it?" he huffed irately.

Her pink eyes met his red orbs. "How…can you give me assurances, too? If I let you out, you won't just leave me here, will you?"

It was a legitimate concern. Hiei was actually impressed that she stopped him to ask before naively opening the cell. His expression remained hard and impassive as he assured her, "Once I enter an agreement, I honor it whether I want to or not. I expect you to do the same."

For some reason, his words resulted in her smiling at him before she entered the code. The cell door opened instantly, and Hiei took off. Botan heard the agonizing moans of the demons above them and some even scurried back into their cells. Standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed was Hiei. He looked back at her and motioned with his head for her to join him. Because of the simple gesture, she knew she'd be safe, and Hiei really was a man of his word.

Now, she just needed to convince Koenma of that…


	3. Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

* * *

" _Are you sure you want to go through with this?_

" _The fusion between you and the Jagan eye will be much more painful than you can imagine._

" _I have to lock you down to the table to keep you from ripping out your own eyes. I have earplugs for myself."_

" _Hn, I won't say a word. Just do it."_

" _Everyone screams. The only question is what will you say."_

"Yukina!"

Hiei sat up in bed, breathing heavily while sweat poured from his body. It had been quite a while since he had that dream, since before Yukina's rescue. Yukina…she was safe now, back in the ice world, and where was he?

No really, where was he?

He could hardly remember how he ended up in some Human World home. He sneered, trying to remember the last twenty-four hours when something did, in fact, hit him.

He had been outside in the rain, that he could remember, and that's when he was found by the annoying ferry girl. She had gone right up to him, no fear at all. He shook his head. He could never understand that woman…weak and powerless, yet stupidly brave.

She had told him that Spirit World had a safe house, an apartment in the city, and that she was going to stay there and he was welcome to join her. After all, she couldn't make the trip back to Spirit World in the storm, and he was a fire demon and could easily get sick in that weather. He had followed her to the location, passed out, and had apparently woken up from his terrible nightmare. It left him feeling bitter.

He realized that the door was open and a light was on and mentally cursed himself. It was possible he woke the woman up, and he would most likely have to face her nosy musings. Unfortunately, he was wide awake now. At least the rain was slowing down. Maybe he could leave, now.

So, he grabbed his cloak and sword and began to exit the room finding Botan alone in the kitchen area. She was pouring hot water into two mugs and then looked up at him and smiled. "Well," she said humorously, "that must have been a doozy of a dream. I heard you calling out, but I couldn't tell what was happening. I had a dream myself. I thought we could both use some tea. It's chamomile."

Her voice was too damn cheery for the middle of the night. Hiei really didn't want to stay, but he figured he could drink the stupid tea and the rain would have subsided when he was done. He took a seat at the island across from Botan as the two began sipping their hot drinks. The fire demon liked hot drinks, but they didn't nearly burn his mouth as had apparently happened to the woman as she choked on the tea a little bit. "Excuse me," she offered up for her idiotic display.

"Hn."

The two of them sat in silence, the ticking of the clock being the only background noise, plus the occasional sipping of tea. Hiei glanced at the clock, eyes narrowing. He didn't understand the human concept of time, the numbers, what they meant. All he knew was that it was night and he should be sleeping, but one of the damn dreams that always haunted him managed to seep back into his subconscious. He wondered if he'd ever be free of them.

"What do demons dream about?"

Silence ensued after the question, and so for a moment Hiei believed he had just been hearing things. When his stoic eyes met Botan's, she was imploring him to answer her question. The demon scoffed. "Nothing a mindless ferry girl like you would understand." He could tell he had angered the woman and smirked. For some reason, it amused him to ruffle her feathers from time to time.

She sat up and crossed her arms indignantly. "Well, that wasn't very nice. I was just wondering what demons dream about, if it's different from what humans dream about, or spirit world officials even."

Hiei outright laughed at that before growing serious again. "Please. Demons dream of death, ferry girl, what else? Humans, I don't know or care what they dream of. You 'spirit world officials' probably dream of clouds, rainbows, among other useless, pointless garbage."

Botan was fuming, but she wasn't going to tell Hiei that she had had dreams about just that a few times before. No, those dreams were not what she was talking about or even comparing. She wanted to know something more than that. Then she remembered what Hiei said about what demons dream. "So, you were dreaming about death, then?" she questioned curiously.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. So, this was her ploy to get him to open up about his most private thoughts. He then smirked as he came up with an idea. "Does that frighten you?" he asked, his eyes glaring at her with a predatory look.

Botan swallowed but then shook her head. "No. I just…you clearly haven't died before, so why would you dream of death?"

His smile revealed his fangs and he chuckled. "Perhaps I wasn't dreaming of _my_ death, woman. Perhaps I was dreaming of yours."

"Uh," Botan squeaked out before she shamefully looked down to her cup. "I don't remember _how_ I died, Hiei. How could you dream about something like that?"

The game was over as soon as the ferry girl revealed that information. Hiei had been hoping to dissuade her from asking questions. He hoped that the indirect threat would shut her up.

He hadn't expected something so unbelievably deep to leave her mouth.

Botan sighed again and then looked up at the ceiling, growling in frustration. "Agh, alright!" she shouted before slamming her mug down on the island. Hiei was taken aback by the display, but he was unmoving. "Okay," she whispered. "I…I was only asking what demons dreamt about because I wanted to see if they dreamt like I did. You were right. I have normal, fluffy, weird, strange, magical dreams, but I also have this terrifying, recurring nightmare. I…I wanted to know if that happens to anyone else."

Hiei didn't grace her with a response, but if he had it would have been the affirmative. His nightmares were proof of that.

It was silent between them once more, and to Hiei's chagrin, the rain picked back up again. He glared out the window and scoffed, crossing his arms. "Are recurring dreams memories?"

A frustrated sigh left Hiei beside himself. He figured the ferry girl was done with her tirade. His attention went back to the ticking clock. "Sometimes," he offered, hoping that would be enough.

Botan nodded. "Then…maybe I do remember how it happened…"

"How what happened?" Hiei growled. He didn't want to engage her, but she'd keep him up all night with this if he didn't force her to say whatever the heck it was that was bothering her.

"My death," Botan replied calmly. "Every so often, I have this same dream where I was outside running around, playing with some children I don't recognize and a dog. The next minute, I slip and fall, landing in a creek. I splash and splash, but nothing happens, no one comes, and I just look up seeing layers of water and the bright sun, and then I wake up gasping for air."

Hiei glanced over at the ferry girl who seemed to be pondering this dream. Then he remembered something he heard once before when he was trapped in the Spirit World prison, before the woman ever came to strike a deal. "Doesn't Spirit World erase the minds of the spirits they hire as ferry girls? Fill your head with nonsense that keeps you working smooth and efficiently?"

"It's not like that, Hiei," Botan answered. "They allow us to keep our personalities, but yes they erase our past memories. I don't know why. If we died, wouldn't it be better for us to remember the feeling to help someone else through it? That might help in dealing with spirits like Yusuke who refuse to believe they're dead."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. Why was this woman asking such deep questions? Why was she questioning her own world?

His eyes widened…

Did they screw up in erasing her mind, leaving her with very foreign memories? Is that why she came to him to ask his reasoning? Because she wasn't just a mindless, spirit world drone that answered to Koenma's every whim? Did she really remember her own death?

Botan was caught in her own thoughts. If she really was having recurring dreams about her human life, did it mean she had unfinished business? What would it be? What would happen if anyone in Spirit World found out she had these dreams? She figured Hiei was a safe person to ask. He didn't like Spirit World or answer to Koenma unless it was a mission. They had developed some form of trust the day he helped her during the prison break, and in turn her convincing Koenma to use Hiei as an asset. So far, Hiei had proven his keep assisting Yusuke with the Saint Beasts. She didn't think he tell anyone. She feared what would happen if she were wrong.

"The Jagan implant."

"Huh?"

Botan looked over to the fire demon, surprised he said anything. Hiei sighed and looked at his still steaming cup. "You asked what I dreamt about. The Jagan implant. I've had the dream before among other recurring dreams. They're all memories."

The ferry girl relaxed slightly, surprised that Hiei shared anything with her that personal. It also made her realize that he didn't intend to tell her secret, and she would have to keep his quiet. Botan maybe was a blabbermouth, but with serious things like this, she was always able to keep quiet.

The two of them finished their drinks and then went their own separate ways. At the same time, they both laid down in their beds in the separate rooms both reflecting on these recurrent dreams of theirs. However, Hiei was thinking about Botan's, and she was thinking about what his was like despite the limited information she had. Both shook their heads before they attempted to sleep once again. The sound of the rain and the effects of the chamomile aided them back into slumber.

* * *

A/N: I just want everyone to know, this won't be a daily thing, updating this story I mean. It's just been working out that way. I've been getting these random little ideas in my head, and I want to get them written down right away. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone else has an idea for something, let me know and I'll see what I can do, but keep it within the rating please! I will not be upping the rating for any reason.


	4. Blessing

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

So, here is one of the pieces that will be a direct continuation of Heart Races, so if someone hasn't read the story, don't be surprised that it jumps way, way ahead completely past the last two drabbles.

* * *

The apartment was quiet, too quiet since Hiei had gone off to Demon World. The tournament had long been over, yet the fire demon had yet to return to his mate. Botan's first college semester had been well underway, her new life in human world blossoming. Still, she didn't know what had been keeping Hiei. She had seen him at the tournament, and though he didn't win he managed to make it far in, taking out Yomi after he was weakened by Enki. Surprisingly, this year, Mukuro had been the victor, and she was keeping Enki's laws the same.

Part of Botan wondered if that had been the reason Hiei had been gone so long. Many demons were displeased with Mukuro's decisions. The former ferry girl knew Mukuro's reasoning. Hiei had told her that Mukuro actually enjoyed the peace. She still trained and fought to keep it, but she didn't want Demon World to be at war with Human and Spirit World again. Of course, he tried to deny that Mukuro made this call for him, too. She knew her former general had taken a ferry girl for a mate, and she knew they were expecting a child.

Thinking of the baby, Botan's hand moved to her protruding stomach. She was already five months along, and knew of the baby's gender. Hiei had wanted to go with her to her appointments, but he missed quite a few since he had been stuck in Demon World. They didn't even get to talk much, so Botan couldn't tell him the child's gender. She sighed. She really missed him.

A sound startled her causing her to stand up abruptly. Her attention shifted to the window where she heard the banging noise. Frightened features softening to a subtle smile, she went to unlock the window and found her very perturbed mate standing outside with his arms crossed.

"You know," she said lightly, her voice teasing and playful, "I gave you a key. You don't have to come in through the window. Besides, how would that look to the other students?"

"Like I care about the other students?" Hiei scoffed, his voice irritated and combative. Botan seemed a little put off by it before he sighed. "Hn. Don't look at me like that. It's been a bad week."

Botan stepped aside and let Hiei enter through their bedroom window before she closed it and locked it once again. As she turned around, she saw Hiei's eyes taking her in, even quickly stealing a glance at her abdomen. She saw something in his eyes, slightly amazed, but slightly guilty. Guilt was not something she wanted him to feel. If he hadn't returned for so long, there was a reason, so she refused to let him linger on those thoughts. Instead, she held out her hand expectantly, and Hiei eventually took it. He smirked at her before he swiftly moved to kiss her, taking her by surprise. Her startled yelp only served to amuse him. It didn't deter him. They had a lot of time they needed to make up for.

* * *

Later in the evening, after Botan had showered, she began cooking dinner while Hiei washed up. She felt relief in the fact that Hiei had been taking very good care of himself. He had sustained some injuries, indicative of the new scars that marred his body, but he was healthy and alive and Botan was so incredibly thankful.

He had explained to her, after their intimate moments, why he had been gone for so long. Apparently, because one of the three kings had been given the title of king, many demons were trying to re-forge the old rivalry. Yusuke had not allowed his territory to engage in battled, but he demanded they assist Mukuro if Yomi had decided to attack. Yomi had been preparing for attack, but so had Mukuro's followers and army. Hiei had made sure they were ready for battle. Of course, Yomi hadn't made a move on the kingdom right away. In fact, he attempted to make a deal with Mukuro first. He continued to speak of a unified Demon World, and when Mukuro asked if he meant to unify Demon World with the two other worlds, he didn't respond and Mukuro told him to leave.

After that, Yomi had sent strong troops claiming to all of Demon World that their current ruler had purposefully ignored his plea. In that month, Yusuke and Kurama had returned to Demon World, which surprised Botan since they hadn't mentioned it, and they enlisted Koto's help for the first public service announcement in Demon World where Mukuro listed everything Yomi had wanted.

Because the majority of Demon World had become accustomed to the peace and were integrating into the human realm, ire turned towards Yomi. Demons may have feared his strength, but it didn't mean they had to cater to him. Yomi had decided, in order to preserve what little favor he had, to back off and continue training for the next Demon World tournament. Now that things had quieted down, Hiei was able to return to Human World, and he didn't plan on leaving for a while.

She heard movement behind her and turned to see her shirtless mate drying his hair with a fluffy, white towel before tossing it to the pile of clothes he left on the floor. Botan couldn't help but giggle at his actions. He made his way into the kitchen watching her work over her shoulder. She did her best not to blush at their close quarters. He seemed to notice and pushed himself into her more while wearing his cocky smirk.

But when Botan spoke, his pleasure faded leaving him to glower at the woman.

It was a simple question, but to hear her say it drove him crazy. "What do you think of the name Emiko for a girl?"

When his demeanor shifted, Botan jumped and cast him a wary glance. He looked angry, hurt, and dejected, and she could tell it was directed at her, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. Hiei sensed her confusion and tried to center himself. She hadn't realized what she said, he assumed. But she knew the word that haunted him, so he had no idea why she couldn't say it. "Why would you even speak that word?"

"What word?" Botan asked before she started silently mouthing the word. Realization struck her and she gasped. "Oh, no, Hiei…you misunderstand."

"Then enlighten me. Why in all three worlds would you call out child that?"

"Emiko is a human name," Botan explained, "for a girl, and it means blessing. Yukina and I saw it together. Now I know why she pointed it out…I thought she liked the name…"

"It means…what?"

"Hiei," Botan sighed, trying again. "What they called you…imiko…that's completely different. Wow, the difference one letter makes. But if you don't like the name, it's okay. We don't have to name her that. I was just taken with the name's meaning. I swear. I would never _ever_ think that of our child."

Hiei seemed to relax, but only because he caught what Botan had said. "Her?"

Botan smiled, her hand moving over her child. "Yeah. She's really strong. Quite the little kicker."

The look in the fire demon's eyes was indescribable. It was clear he hadn't been expecting them to be having a girl, but at the same time everything about him had diffused, his eyes holding a gentle tenderness that even his own mate had never seen. At that moment, their little girl decided to make herself known causing Botan to squeak slightly before chuckling. "Aw, and she's been so quiet today. I think she was waiting for you to come home."

"She," Hiei spoke softly before walking over to the woman. The way he spoke it sounded like he was still trying to tell himself that their child was, in fact, a girl. His hand found its way to Botan's, and the woman smoothed his hand out over his stomach. His eyes widened when he felt the strong, definitive kick.

"I think she's already ready for training with her dad," Botan hummed as Hiei continued to feel their daughter.

Hiei didn't look at Botan, nor did he let his surprise shine through, but he did ask, "You would allow me to train her?"

"Why wouldn't I? She's most likely going to have your fire abilities. She could hurt herself or others without it. Besides, I think it would be good bonding time for the both of you."

Hiei was struck speechless. This life, this picture Botan was painting for them, sounded too good to be true. Part of him didn't want to attach himself to the idea, but as the little one kicked once again, even harder, Hiei realized Botan was right. He caught the woman who nearly stumbled over from the force of the blow. Using his telepathy, he communicated to the unborn babe to settle down. Botan was not her human punching bag.

Botan returned to her cooking chore, but Hiei stood beside her the entire time just in case the little girl decided to act up again. Every so often, when Botan turned away from the stove, he'd embrace her from behind and rub her abdomen while placing kisses along her shoulders. Despite the fact that it made it a little harder to cook, Botan wasn't complaining. Eventually, she surrendered on the meal and offered to order some food to be delivered.

They had quite a bit of time to indulge in each other before the delivery man would arrive.


	5. Firework

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Happy 4th of July everyone! I felt like writing a drabble to kick start the day before I head out to a family reunion. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Hiei hated being trapped in the confines of a human city, his punishment for his crimes against Spirit World.

The ferry girl had done as promised and gotten him a _slight_ pardon. She had pleaded with the Spirit World ruler, making a case for him. The conditions were for him to reside in Yusuke's city and help with cases that were too demanding for a human boy who had only just started to get the hang of his spirit energy. Hiei figured things could be worse, but what he really wanted was to return home.

He had been fairly close to it, assisting Yusuke and his human oaf of a friend with Kurama in a Demon World city. To be honest, he had been so close, so close to getting out of his punishment. He had resolved to let the other three die at the entry gate, that stupid bat's voice grating on his eardrums. He had thought the human foolish for suggesting they all die there together. It was not his responsibility to keep the others alive. He had only lived for himself for so long.

" _I trust you."_

Hiei's eyes snapped open as the detective's words hit him again full force. He had given the human no reason to think he would help them if he had gotten free. His eyes wide open, he replayed the scene in his mind constantly. No one, not even Kurama had said those three words…and Hiei had promised Yusuke his death. He was either incredibly stupid or brave, but Hiei could not figure out which. Yes, the detective was a lucky fool at times and had idiotically sacrificed all of his energy to protect that girl, something Hiei swore up and down to Kurama he'd never do. Even that didn't seem to help Hiei come to an answer about Yusuke's trust in him.

He had saved them. Him, Hiei, a fire demon, the imiko, has saved two humans and a former demon thief possessing a human. They weren't his friends, although Kurama would be the closest if he had accepted he had any. They weren't anyone to whom he truly held loyalty, and yet he had saved them. Those words had struck his soul. The first one to ever trust a creature like him was his human enemy. He had expended his energy to hold Hiei's share of the weight astonishing the demon.

Then he was faced with the switch. He could easily let the ceiling drop and be free. His head had whipped around as he weighed his options. It was between freedom and comradery, to be alone or to be part of a team.

Hiei scoffed at the though. No, he just needed them alive to get through the castle. Even though he was strong, taking on four opponents at their level with his weakened energy would have been suicide. He ignored the fleeting thought asking him why he would have even needed to take on the castle in the first place considering the mission was to protect Human World and not his own interests.

It was night in the human city and Hiei had found a nice park with plenty of trees in which to sleep. There was hardly any light there compared to the rest of the city, and he could see the start clearly. Occasionally, he heard random passersby walking through the park together at late night hours. For the most part it was peaceful.

Unfortunately, that night the noise had been unbearable. He heard the shouts and loud conversations of humans who had all seemed to come to that particular park. They were sitting in chairs, on the ground, going to booths and playing games that had been set up. Hiei's eyes narrowed at the sight. Why were there so many people there that night?

His answer came in the form of a loud explosion. He instantly prepared for an attack, readying himself on the tree. Instead of seeing burning fire consuming the park, he saw lights in the sky. It was clearly fire, but it was colorful and disappeared. He could hear the enchanted murmurings of the humans on the ground. They seemed amazed and impressed by the lights.

Hiei took in his surroundings and surprisingly spotted the ferry girl. He assumed she was there to check up on him making sure he wasn't violating the agreement he had made with Spirit World. She was looking at the glowing fire in the sky, her eyes full of mirth and interest. He wondered if the lights had stopped her from performing her duties.

Not wanting to prolong her questioning, he flashed closer to her in a different tree. She was shocked that he appeared beside her, her oar shaking in the sky as she looked at him. A smile graced her features. "Oh, hello Hiei. How have you been? I haven't seen you since you returned from Maze Castle."

Hiei kept his expression neutral, however his mind yelled out. Wasn't she here to see him? Why was she treating him like another colleague or friend? He hadn't been expecting this. If she wasn't there for him, what was she there for?

When he didn't answer, Botan giggled and then looked back out to the colorful, tiny flames. "Isn't it amazing?" she asked him. "All those colorful little lights looking like stars." She looked down to the crowd. "They look like they're having fun down there."

"Are you telling me you came for this spectacle and not stalking me?" Hiei asked curtly, crossing his arms.

Botan held out her hands in a settle down motion. "Don't worry," she chimed. "I assure you I came at my own leisure. I didn't even know you'd be here. Did you come to see the fireworks too?"

"Fireworks?" Hiei repeated.

"Yes, they're pyrotechnics that humans shoot off for entertainment, sometimes to celebrate something and sometimes just for fun. It's like art. Each different one does something new with different colors, and sometimes they're paired with similar colors. It's like art in the sky. It's beautiful."

Hiei eyed the ferry girl strangely before he looked down to the crowd. "What could they possibly be celebrating? The fact that their race didn't succumb to the effects of those flies?"

Botan chuckled. "They didn't know about the flies, just that some humans went crazy. And honestly, I don't know what they're celebrating. They might just be doing it for fun. I had been ferrying souls one day and I heard a few people talking about the light show. It's just a coincidence is all, but I didn't want to miss it. Didn't you come because you were curious about the lights?"

"No," Hiei replied. "I've been residing here since my release."

Botan nodded, not prying more. Truthfully, she was surprised he had humored her enough in her ramblings. She had been surprised by a lot of things. Mainly, the fact that he was actually adhering to the conditions Koenma had set. The ferry girl knew how much he hated the world he was trapped in, but he wasn't fighting her and even admitted that this was where he had been staying, a little factoid she'd keep in case he was needed for another case.

Her eyes went back to the beautiful lights in the sky falling to the earth and disappearing on their way down. Hiei noticed the colors reflecting in her shining orbs and then scoffed before plopping down on the branch. Botan regarded his form once again and then grinned taking a seat next to him, her oar disappearing. The two quietly watched the glowing fire in interest, though Hiei still appeared bored. He never attempted to leave as he leaned back against the wood. Botan leaned out, her feet dangling as she took in the sights. She didn't notice that Hiei's eyes were on her. He had stopped watching the fire a while ago.


	6. Halloween Night

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

My favorite holiday is here, so here's a little drabble in honor of it. Happy Halloween!

* * *

Botan had returned to her Human World apartment after a long day of ferrying souls. Humming a happy tune, she made her oar disappear as she flew into her open window. Looking around the place, she grinned. It was her first Halloween in Human World, and she was going to make the most of it.

Her place looked like Halloween had thrown up there, pumpkins, bedsheet ghosts, and skeletons everywhere with many different colored spooky lights. She flipped the switch on her black bat lantern revealing green skeletons inside and plugged in the strands of pumpkin and ghost lights. There were also many creepy candleholders, a raven sitting in a skeleton hand and a tart warmer that was a light up haunted house with eerie music and sound effects like creeping doors. Her favorite was the spider web candleholder that she put in front of a mirror to reflect the dancing flame.

She decided to heat cider on the stove adding the mulling. She stirred in some apples slices she had cut up, and then set it to simmer for a while. Afterwards, she got her orange bowl filled with candy and set it next to the door. A purple bowl of candy was placed on the couch. That one was for her.

Surprisingly, the sky darkened fast with thick, black clouds, and rain barreled down on the streets. Botan frowned as she looked at the window, the wind blowing the colored leaves through the streets. Lightning crashed and Botan sighed. It was definitely the creepiest weather for Halloween night, but now it seemed there wouldn't be many out.

Well, it didn't need to ruin her night. She had found a store with all those old horror movies. "Welp, time to make some popcorn."

Botan had gotten herself settled in, eating popcorn and candy and drinking hot cider while she looked out the window from time to time and then returned her attention to the pathetically made monster movie. To be honest, she was content with this, even if she didn't get a million trick-or-treaters this first year. Everything was peaceful.

That was until the lights cut out.

Botan froze when the screen went dark. Her lamps all went out leaving the room to be illuminated solely by battery powered Halloween lights and the few candles she had. There was nothing really bright in the room. Well, this still wasn't the worst that could have happened. It wasn't like a demon was going to attack her while she was safe in her apartment.

Again, she spoke too soon…somewhat.

"Is the eeriness of this room an invitation," a deep voice spoke. Botan's mouth went dry, her mouth open as she tried to take in a deep breath before she shrieked and launched herself off the couch. She nearly knocked down one of the flaming candles, though it was caught in ease. The small flame illuminated the face of her "attacker."

"Hiei?"

The fire demon snickered at the ferry girl's reaction. Sure, he had come in through the window in one of the rooms. When he saw the storm clouds, he knew he would need to seek shelter for the night. He returned to the Spirit World safe house that had basically become Botan's second home since none of the other ferry girls lingered in Human World. Botan was the only one who, after ferrying, would explore in her spirit form. She wanted to learn all about this different world. Unlike Hiei. He could care less about it.

He had entered through the window of the room where he resided during storms, but he was reluctant to make his presence known. At the time, he realized that the woman was not there. She was still ferrying souls, so he decided to get some much needed rest. He awoke when he heard her enter the apartment. He still kept the fact that he was there a secret, and he had gone to see what she was doing.

He heard noise in the kitchen and watched her stir the pot of cider taken by the sweet aroma it produced. Botan went about her business without sensing his eyes on her, a thought that brought a smirk to his face. He wanted to wait for an opportune time to reveal himself, thinking these so called "monster movies" would give him a good entrance.

They were completely droll and lacked any amount of horror.

It made him irritated with human entertainment once again, but then the lightning struck once again and the power went out. He saw Botan tense and felt completely amused that the darkness had heightened her senses and fear. Coming up from behind her, seeing her reaction, it had been the best entertainment he had had for months.

Botan finally relaxed as Hiei set the candle back on the coffee table. She deadpanned, her eyes growing bored. "You know, you could have warned me you were coming," she stated.

Hiei ignored her and looked at the small flames. "Seriously, woman. I didn't think you were the type to hold a séance on this night of all nights. You know there are both ghosts and demons out there looking to cause trouble."

"It's not a séance," Botan huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "They're just Halloween decorations, not a signal."

The fire demon scoffed, "There's a difference?"

"There is," the ferry girl informed him. "I enjoy the festivities and the less scary aspects of Halloween. I see the real, scary stuff as part of my work. I wouldn't be inviting it into my home. You went ahead and made it downright frightening."

Hiei actually laughed at that. "The lights going out had nothing to do with me. Trying to get a reaction out of you, that was all me."

"Yeah, I know," she grumbled. "Well, now that you're here, would you like some hot cider?"

"That brew you made?" Hiei questioned. "Hn. And yet you say you aren't a witch."

Botan sighed. "It's not a brew. It's apple cider heated with cinnamon and other spices. It's really quite delicious. I went over to Kurama's home one afternoon for a visit and he introduced me to it. You should try some. There's mugs in the cabinet and a ladle in the pot."

"Hn," Hiei scoffed. He walked over to the kitchen and decided to try some, not thinking he'd really like it, but humoring the woman. He would have made her retrieve him a cup, though he was used to doing things on his own. It wasn't rocket science to put liquid into any sort of drinking apparatus.

Hiei returned to the couch to find Botan staring into the candlelight drinking her drink. He took a sip of it, relishing in the hot liquid warming his insides. He was a fire demon and he loved anything hot. The year Kurama had made him taste that hot chocolate beverage was how he found that out. The cider was hardly any different save the taste, and it was refreshing. Hiei downed the whole mug in one gulp making Botan's eyes widen. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Botan stated. "Just I've never seen someone down the whole thing, though it makes sense. It won't burn your mouth and anything else seeing at you're a fire demon and everything."

Hiei shrugged and ate the popped corn finding the texture strange, but the snack overall fine. The two of them sat in silence as the storm raged outside. "Hey," Botan spoke out after twenty minutes of stale silence. "I have an idea. Why don't we play truth or dare until the power comes back on."

"What?" Hiei questioned. "Is that some Spirit World policy of interrogation?"

"No, silly, it's a human game," Botan explained. "We ask truth or dare and then the person picks one. If you pick truth, you answer a personal question, and if you pick dare you have to do whatever the other person asks of you. It's fun."

"Your definition of fun is forcing a person to tell something about themselves they'd like to take to the grave or force a person to bend to you will," Hiei deadpanned. "Maybe you are meant for this holiday. I'll pass. I would never tell you anything about myself that I do not wish to share, nor would I willingly go along with anything you say unless it served my own interests."

Botan frowned and then threw herself back against the couch. "Party pooper. I just can't stand the silence. I need to hear noise."

"Why?" Hiei questioned, but Botan didn't answer. Instead, she smirked.

"If you really want to know," she crooned, "then you'll have to play the game. I'll even pick truth so I have to answer the question."

Hiei glowered at the ferry girl, but he actually was pretty curious as to why she needed noise. "Fine, I'll play. Answer."

Botan offered him a victorious smile. "I need noise because in Spirit World, the ferry girl quarters are so quiet, it's like nothing exists around me and it feels eerie. Walking down that silent hallway sometimes gives me the creeps."

Hiei's eyes narrowed into slits. "You are literally death and yet a silent hallway is creepy…"

"I'm not death, Hiei," Botan scoffed. "I'm just a ferry girl. We guide the dead, but we have no control over someone's life."

That was actually useful information, and Hiei figured he could get a lot out of the ferry girl under the pretense of this "game." "Your turn, onna."

"Uh, okay," Botan said. "Truth or dare, Hiei?"

Hiei really had no desire to disclose anything personal to Botan, and he doubted she could really do much damage to him with whatever she demanded. "Dare."

"That actually doesn't surprise me," Botan joked. "Alright, what can I make you do?" She thought about it, looking around the room when she spotted her second bowl for candy by the door. "I dare you to eat that entire bowl of candy by the end of the night."

Hiei's mouth gaped at the ridiculousness of the challenge. He grunted, "I overestimated you. That is a pathetic challenge and will be done with ease."

"I know," Botan agreed, "but I just don't want to have so much left over candy here and this way you can't say no."

The fire demon's eyes narrowed as he got up to grab the bowl and then returned to the couch sitting Indian style with the bowl in his lap. He grabbed one of candies, unwrapped it, and shoved it in his mouth. He wouldn't admit this, but he actually found it quite tasty. "Whatever. Truth or dare, onna."

Botan understood, especially after Hiei's comment, that if she chose dare, it wouldn't end well for her. She had to pick truth. Besides, there was nothing Hiei could ask that would be as damaging. She was an open book to most people, and he already knew a little about her, so it was her safest option. "Truth."

"Why did Koenma choose you to be the spirit detective's assistant," he voiced.

The woman was surprised by the question, but answered it anyway. "Oh, well, he thought it would be best if Yusuke had to work with someone he already knew. Since I was the ferry girl who aided him during his ordeal, we spent a lot of time together. That, and because of my competence as his chief ferry girl. I'm able to balance it all, so that was another point in my favor."

Hiei nodded and then stated, "Dare," not even letting Botan ask again.

"Alright," she said, putting her finger to her chin, she thought and then smiled saying. "I dare you to dance the hokey pokey."

"The what?"

"Oh, it's easy," Botan said as she got up and showed Hiei the dance he would have to perform.

Hiei glared at the ferry girl. "I will _not_ be doing that."

"Then it looks like I win already," she teased, and that prompted Hiei to stand up and humiliate himself.

Out of anger, knowing she'd pick truth, he was about to get the answer to the question he always wanted. "Why did you come to me in the prison?" he snapped.

Botan's eyes grew wide as she sighed. "I wanted to know why you did what you did, that's all."

Hiei's angered expression never faltered. "You had to know I'd never tell someone like you. There's nothing to say."

"But still, I want to know why," Botan explained. "There was nothing for you to gain. Even if you're a thief by trade, going after Spirit World was a huge risk. Surely there could have been another way to make a name for yourself."

"It wasn't to make a name for myself," Hiei countered.

"Then why? Because now I'm even more confused."

She wouldn't let this go, and Hiei needed to discourage her from asking deeper, more personal questions. He needed her to pick dare, to punish her. That way, she would drop this ridiculous game. "I pick truth and answer, but only if you pick dare next." Botan, ever curious, nodded beside herself agreeing to Hiei's will. "I needed to find Yukina," he stated darkly. "I couldn't see her with the Jagan anymore. I needed more eyes to search for her. I never thought that human bastard…"

Hiei looked to Botan who had been listening intently. She wore an empathetic smile and then nodded accepting his answer. "That sounds more like you," she stated. "Though, I wonder…if you care about your sister so much, why don't you want her to know?"

"She's better off not knowing," he answered curtly.

"I disagree," Botan replied, "but you answered my question. So…what do you want me to do?"

That was a good question. What would be the worst thing he could make her do? She usually took everything with grace, even his threats for she wouldn't have allowed him to stay if she feared them. No, it had to be something horrible, something a pure ferry girl like her would never wish want to do. Perhaps it would be so vile she would drop this pathetic game all together and he'd be in the clear.

Finally, the answer came to him and he smirked wickedly. "Kiss me."

Botan was caught completely off-guard by that, her eyes wide as saucers as she searched his amused orbs questioningly. "Repeat that," she requested.

Hiei felt incredibly confident when he took in her reaction. "Kiss me," he ordered again.

It was taboo for Spirit World officials to fraternize with demons. The fact that he and Kurama were working with them right now was highly controversial. Asking one of its purest forms to kiss him, a demon and Forbidden Child, was his best chance at ending the game. He knew she wouldn't go for it.

"Well…okay then…"

Hiei's expression faltered as her nervous and uncertain voice reached him. Had she just agreed? Now, Hiei was reeling, unprepared by her acceptance. There was no way she'd do it. Her agreement had to be her saving face.

So, when she slowly moved his way on the couch, Hiei was paralyzed.

He didn't know what to do. The fire demon never expected Botan to agree, and now her close proximity was making him uncomfortable. Still, it was his challenge, and he had to see it through. Though, when Botan got close enough, she closed her eyes and puckered her lips, and that was Hiei's chance to escape.

Botan leaned forward only to meet nothingness, falling over on the couch. The slam of a door made her jump, and Botan realized that Hiei had retreated for the night. His reaction confused her, as did his challenge. What made him ask that of her in the first place? She wasn't against doing it, but Hiei had seemed so smug over something. The ferry girl didn't ever think she'd understand the temperamental fire demon.

The lights flickered back on, the television returning to her monster movie, before she could linger on her thoughts much longer. She released a heavy sigh, trying not to focus on the fact that she had nearly kissed her coworker and friend. Yes, that was how she saw Hiei. She didn't see him as some thief or murderer. She didn't see him as a felon who was being forced to help them. It didn't mean she didn't know what he was capable of and that frightened her sometimes, but if he had wanted to hurt her he would have done so by now. He wouldn't have talked to her about their recurrent dreams. He wouldn't have indulged her in her game that night.

He wouldn't have asked her to kiss him.

Well, even if she couldn't stop thinking about it, she could still celebrate the Halloween festivities with little fear of any unwanted demon guests. If that _were_ to happen, Hiei would protect her. He hadn't given her any reason to think he wouldn't, even if the two of them were total opposites.


	7. The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

This drabble was inspired by my friend, dragoscilvio, though she doesn't know it yet. She sent me a really awesome picture of Hiei and Yukina, conveniently my new profile picture, and because of that, I needed to add a chapter. I know this is a Hiei X Botan drabble series, so don't worry, Botan will make an appearance. This is definitely a standalone drabble, though it's definitely longer than the other drabbles I have in this series. Just kind of happened that way. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again, my friend, for the idea ;)

* * *

There was fire surrounding him, resulting from an attack. He had been pursuing his enemy the majority of the day with seldom a clue, the Jagan as useless as it was in the past when Yukina had been held captive. Hiei mentally cursed this demon for his foresight. It didn't matter, though. On his life, he swore that he would eliminate the bastard before the day ended.

He would pay for kidnapping his sister.

" _Oh, why not?"_

 _Hiei glared at the woman, angered that she had even suggested that he tell Yukina the truth. At first, she had taken to reminiscing about the Dark Tournament only for them to end up on the topic of the ice maiden and the quest she had given the fire demon. Years had passed, and he was not even considering informing his twin of their connection. He protected her from the shadows, and he would remain there until his dying day._

 _Of course, the ferry girl would never understand this._

 _In fact, she had come out and said he should tell her. He flat out rejected the suggestion, and that was where they were at now, silently sitting in the living room of the apartment she claimed whenever she set foot in Human World, stewing in anger and uncertainty._

* * *

He managed to track down the demon to a cave far past Genkai's temple. He had injured the worthless wretch, so the spilt blood acted as a trail. Against the gray, rocky terrain, the red stood out so much more. The fool probably thought he could hide out here and wait Hiei out. That was where he made his error. No one ever waited Hiei out. Ever.

 _She waited before she entered the room she had offered him. He knew she was out there. Her hesitance was irritating. If she was going to enter, she should just do it, not that Hiei was encouraging her in any way. The fire demon just wanted the topic to be dropped._

 _Maybe this was a sign that he should stop taking the ferry girl up on her office to stay crash whenever it rained on Spirit World's dime. At first, the offer had been tempting. He had had decent, entertaining moments with the ferry girl, surprisingly, but now she was getting to close, they were starting to become too personal, or at least she was. Hiei would have been content to leave well enough alone._

 _Using his Jagan, he saw her raised fist ready to knock on the door before she dropped it and shook her head. She looked like she was trying to think of something to say, her pointer finger tapping against her cheek as she chewed on her lip. Her eyes lit up, figuring something out. Hiei wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it, so when she finally knocked on the door, the Jagan closed and Hiei glared at his wall saying nothing._

" _Hiei," she sighed, her voice muffled by the door, but not muted. He could hear her well, his expression turning stony when he heard the softness of her voice. "I shouldn't have pushed you. I'm sorry. But you can't keep this up. Eventually, Yukina will learn. You should be the one to tell her. I can't even begin to understand why you won't. I don't know all that much about you, but I just can't keep quiet. It's an injustice." His brows furrowed. He was perplexed by her words. "For both her and you. Yukina wants to and deserves to know her brother, and you deserve to have the love of your sister. You can't keep up the charade. One day, you may want to tell her and it'll be too later. You two may be demons, and you might have considered you have more time to decide, but well…never mind. What do I know? I'm just a 'clueless ferry girl,' right?"_

 _Hiei heard her retreating steps and scoffed. Her repeating his earlier words did nothing to him even though he was certain she was trying to guilt him. His mind processed her words, and he shook his head. The woman didn't know how wrong she was. Hiei would never want to tell Yukina anything. He was aware that she was desperate to know her brother, hardly believing his lie that the man was dead. The hope she held…Hiei did not understand why she wouldn't let this matter go._

 _It didn't matter that he had time to decide. He had already decided. Besides, it was unlikely that anything would happen to Yukina. She was safe and well-protected in Human World. The one who was likely to go first was him. He was a fighter, and over the course of his life he had made various enemies. Most likely, he would die by the hand of an old foe, that is, if they were even strong enough to touch him._

* * *

The demon cursed, yelling out his frustration, his voice making Yukina jump. She looked at her captor in pity. This being was humanoid, another fire wielder, like Hiei. Apparently, the two had met in the past, the vicious demon having been defeated by Hiei. He spent decades contemplating revenge, but Hiei had gotten too strong.

Yukina had a feeling as to why the demon had taken her. He had been watching Hiei, following him between the two worlds and observing those whom with he had spent his time. She was one that Hiei visited often, just checking in or sometimes visiting longer. This demon had taken her to get to Hiei.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason. There was a reason she had not been killed. Clearly, this fire demon knew the lore of her people and their tears. Like Tarukane, this demon planned to keep her prisoner and force her to produce the gems. He goaded Hiei with that very information before Hiei managed to shoot a flame that wounded the weaker demon.

The ice maiden probably should have been terrified, but she was not. Hiei had been right behind them as the demon had retreated with her. She trusted him to find them and had no other fear. Even when the demon had said that he wanted to kill her now before they could be found, she did not react. She could feel that Hiei was nearby. He had to be.

"Get the hell out here now, you coward!"

A smile dusted Yukina's features as she released a relieved sigh. She knew it. Hiei would never let someone get away with taking her, especially not someone from his own past. The maiden looked up at the demon, who growled and left her behind in the cave. He must have realized that a battle was about to occur. It would not be an easy fight. Hiei had a flair for intense, heated battles.

 _Hiei thought he could leave before Botan noticed, though he had once again been proven wrong. The woman entered his room with a mug containing a peace offering, hot chocolate. It had become one of his favorite human concoctions. His red eyes met apologetic lilac. "Hiei, I-"_

" _Don't bother, ferry girl," he shot down, forcing the mug back into her hand and nearly spilling the hot liquid on her skin. Botan managed to evade the splash and looked to Hiei with a confused gaze. "I have no need for your apologies."_

 _Botan clearly misunderstood him, for she smiled. "Oh," she replied calmly. "Well, that's good then. Still, I made this for you. Come, join me for breakfast." Hiei glowered at her, his gaze hot with wrath. Botan cringed and wondered what exactly she had said to anger the fire demon. "A-Are you okay?"_

 _Hiei did not look away from her, his voice hateful as he said, "I will be taking my leave. I will not be coming back."_

 _Botan was dazed, her eyes wide in uncertainty. "What do you mean? Do you need to return to Demon World? Is something wrong?"_

 _Hiei nearly shoved the woman hovering over him away, and the look of her flashed over her eyes. Good. She should be hurt. "Enough!" he shouted. "If there_ was _anything going on in Demon World, it would be none of your damn business, just like what I do about my situation isn't."_

" _Hiei, I said I was sor-"_

" _I don't want to hear it, wench," he grumbled darkly, his ire-filled eyes tearing into Botan. "I am leaving because I no longer wish to see or interact with you. This farce of a camaraderie is over."_

 _Hiei flashed out of the apartment so fast and fled towards Genkai's where he knew he'd find his sister. It was better if he was there. The whole purpose of being in Human World was to watch over her, not entertain some worthless spirit world employee. Of course, he didn't cast Botan another glance, but if he had he would have seen a shattered soul._

* * *

As the rock shattered beneath his fist, Hiei managed to pull back before his opponent's counterattack hit. The two had been engaged in combat for a while. Hiei was certain he would have finished things by now had his anger not skyrocketed. He knew letting emotions into a fight was dangerous, and he usually avoided such a plight, but not this time. Whenever his sister was involved, it was always personal. Unlike with Tarukane, when Yukina asked him to spare the vile human, this demon would not get away.

Unfortunately, because of Hiei's unruly behavior, the other demon was able to get a lucky strike, and Hiei was cut. The wound was nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Hiei had suffered from incredibly worse injuries and survived. Still, it brought him back to reality, and the reality was that he needed this demon dead.

He could feel the stirring of the Dragon beneath his bandages and realized that the beast was responding to his fury. His lips pressed firmly into a line. This opponent was worthless and did not deserved to be killed by the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Still, with the rage consuming Hiei's soul, it seemed like the best way to alleviate the anger, and the Dragon was all but willing to lend its strength.

"I hate you," the other fire demon spat, but Hiei didn't care. He was used to being hated, and his abhorrence for the being in front of him outweighed anything his opponent could ever possibly feel.

The bandages around his right arm fell, exposing the moving, dragon-shaped "tattoo" on his arm. His opponent knew what that meant, the look of terror flashing to his eyes before he yelled out and directly pursued Hiei, launching himself at the spiky-haired fire demon.

Hiei's eyes narrowed as he drew his arm back, a dark aura surrounding it. "You made a mistake," he growled lowly, knowing that the other demon couldn't hear him, "and because of it, you are about to die."

He called out for the Dragon, shooting the black flames towards his enemy. The demon had no way of avoiding the attack, looking towards the Darkness Flame with wide, terror-stricken eyes. By the time the flames and smoke began to clear, there was nothing left of the vile creature who had taken his sister.

His body was exhausted. He had wasted too much energy in the battle, a horrible mistake and highly dangerous when left out in the open. The fire demon knew he would enter hibernation, unconsciousness would consume him, but luckily there had only been one demon seeking him out alone. He would survive just a little bit of time.

He glanced over to the cave, finally sensing his sister's presence again. That was a relief. She was safe, and would most likely stay in the cave for a while. He had time. He walked over to the side of the craggy mountain and allowed himself to fall and lean back against the rock.

Yukina had seen this, seen the blood dripping from his wound, and immediately ran to his side screaming his name. Hiei didn't move, already having fallen asleep, but Yukina didn't know about the Darkness technique, at least not enough to know that he was fine and just resting. She dropped to her knees at his side, tears forming in her eyes. "Hiei," she murmured hopelessly, noticing his shallow breathing. "I'm so sorry, brother."

She moved back, tears crystalizing and hitting the stone beneath them, her hands moving to heal his wound. Out of nowhere, another hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Yukina looked up to see Hiei staring back at her, his expression stoic but his eyes conveying his confusion as his tired body shook. "What…" he breathed out, "did you say?"

His answer came in the form of a smile as she threw herself at the fire demon. His shock could not be contained as the ice maiden lied against him, this time crying from relief, some crystals being caught in Hiei's unbandaged hand. His crimson eyes widened, disbelief and fear shining in the orbs as his raised arm that had been holding her wrist remained frozen in the air twitching slightly. For the longest time, he had kept his identity a secret from the maiden thinking she was clueless about him. This was not a moment he ever expected to happen.

Yet, here they were, on the mountain crag, post battle, sounded by the remaining wisps of smoke, his sister hugging him in relief that he was safe. The daze he was in ended, and he regained his senses. Despite himself, he finally allowed his raised arm to wrap around Yukina's back, though his banadaged hand rested on the ground. Still, he was content enough that he managed to finally fall asleep trapping his sister in the loose hug.

* * *

Later, Hiei decided to return to Botan's apartment. He expected to find the window shut and locked tight, but it was still open. This day had been full of such a whirlwind of emotions, and it started there with the ferry girl. It turned out she was right. After he had rested, awaking much faster thanks to his sister's healing magic, he had questioned the ice maiden asking her how and when she had found out.

He learned that she had always known. The second she had heard his name, she knew. Hiei had assumed that none of the ice maidens would have ever repeated his name. He was Hiei, the Forbidden Child, the imiko who was a curse to their land. However, Rui had informed the girl of his existence after his visit. She had learned that Yukina's brother was alive. Because of it, she had informed Yukina of all she knew about him from his name, which he had conveniently not told his twin when they had first met, down to his appearance. Yukina had known, even back when she rejoined the group, who he was, even when she asked him to find her brother, even when he told her that he was dead. She never said anything because she respected his wishes to keep quiet, hoping that one day he would finally confess their relation. His twin was incredibly clever to have kept quiet all this time.

In that moment, however, Yukina had thought he might die. She had only ever seen him use the Dragon one other time, and where he had passed out, he had been in a very intense battle and taken the Dragon within himself. This time, she had seen the wound, and she had thought maybe he had been too hurt from the side. She didn't want to keep quiet any longer, and so she revealed her knowledge.

What the ferry girl had said to him a few nights ago rang in his head. Yukina had wanted to tell him, and when she thought it was too late she had been so distraught. Botan had said that one day he may have wanted to tell the maiden about their siblingship, but it was possible he would miss his chance. Her words had angered him mainly because they hit just the right spot. Who knew that his sister would have been the one to cave first, though, once again, he reminded himself that he could have never guessed this. He had had no idea that she had known.

Maybe the woman had been more than "clueless ferry girl." Normally, the fire demon did not regret his words, but he had said them out of irritation at her shrewdness. It was possible that his words had been uncalled for.

Hiei entered the living space and found Botan passed out on the couch. He made his way over to the woman, observing her. She looked terrible, tear stains marking her face. There was a tub of half-eaten, melted ice cream on the floor that she had probably dropped when she had fallen asleep. The woman shivered in her sleep, and Hiei grimaced reaching over her for the blanket she normally wrapped around her shoulders when she was too cold. He placed the cloth over her, and Botan sighed in her sleep.

Clearly, his words had had more of an effect on the woman, more than he ever thought possible. It made no sense to him. He had been callous towards her before, going as far as to threaten her life on numerous occasions, even since the first time she had allowed him to stay. Now that he thought about it, however, he realized that it had been quite a long time since his threats had held any bite when it came to her, and, for the most part, they did get along. Perhaps his tameness had given the ferry girl a false image of him that she started to accept, though he had to consider that she had accepted him even when he was abrasive.

A sigh escaped the fire demon mentally cursing himself for what he was about to do.

* * *

It was dark outside when Botan finally stirred. She sat up, her hand on her blanket. Her mind jolted. When had she grabbed the blanket? She didn't remember covering herself before she had fallen asleep.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and they noticed something out of place. They fixated on a lone object on her coffee table, a dark mug that presented the sweet, rich smell of chocolate. Her brows furrowed as she reached for the mug. Inside was the hot chocolate she usually made for Hiei, what she had used as a peace offering. It was lukewarm meaning that it had once been hot, a while ago in fact, and that meant that the fire demon had returned. Her mind put two and two together. Hiei had returned, placed the blanket on her, and left her a peace offering as a way of apologizing. A smile graced Botan's features before she settled back on the couch and went back to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder what had made the fire demon change his mind, but she was glad. After all, she was beginning to see him as one of her closest friends. She didn't want to lose that.


	8. The New Trial

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hello, everyone! I've just finished proofreading and re-uploading all the chapters for **Trials of Life** , so I felt it was time for a continuation drabble. If you haven't read that, it's an AU and since this follows the end of it, so it's going to be way far along, just so you know. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

He couldn't believe that they were finally here.

Well, figuratively. Hiei was standing outside the viewing window looking upon his and Botan's child with such glee and amazement.

They had had a little girl. Little Hinata had finally been born, and Hiei couldn't be happier.

It had been a very trying day for him and his wife, and they were both working on little sleep. They had been getting ready for bed, Hiei being playful and tickling his woman. She had been so despondent the past couple of weeks claiming to be fat. Hiei didn't scold her. After all, she was pregnant, and, though he had always admonished her in the past for insulting herself, he knew it was just the hormones. Instead of feeding into the behavior, however, he had decided to distract her instead.

As the two of them laughed at the antics and the tickles, because of course Botan retaliated, they had felt something wet that stunned them both into silence. The two had become a bit frantic. It was a week earlier than the anticipated due date, so it was unexpected. Hiei regained his composure first knowing that he needed to be level headed. The two quickly made it out of the apartment, Hiei grabbing the hospital bag on the way out.

Honestly, they were supposed to be back home, now, though they really liked their doctor. It was the beginning of June, so they could have returned at any time after the semester ended. Both their mothers had tried to convince them to come, but that wasn't what they wanted to do. They wanted their daughter to be born in the state where they'd raise her.

Hiei's expression softened as the little baby stretched in the little bed they had her in. Hiei wished so much that he could take her, but they needed to run a couple of tests to make sure she was fully healthy. She definitely had healthy lungs, and the doctor was convinced she was fine despite the early arrival. Still, they needed to take precautions.

Botan had been amazing. Hiei had been by her side the entire time whispering words of comfort while reminiscing about their past to distract her. It helped, but the pain was immense, and his poor wife had to undergo that torture for many hours, about a half a day. That was ironic considering their girl wanted to come early, but then she didn't want to abandon the home her mother had made for her.

The whole experience had been surreal. He was with Botan, both of them on the same emotional wavelength as she fought to bear their child. Her grip had been so strong, her screams pained yet determined. The fight Hiei had witnessed in that room amazed him, and Botan proved the strength he always knew she had finally getting to rest after little Hinata entered the world.

Their little ray of sunshine.

The doctor had handed him the scissors to cut the cord which had been a humbling experience. After the nurses cleaned their daughter off, she was wrapped in a small, pink blanket and handed to her father. She was one of the most beautiful things Hiei had ever seen in his life. When her crimson eyes met his, he had fallen in love all over again and he knew that he would do anything for his daughter, just like he would do anything for her mother.

Botan had held her, immediately jumping into motherhood. Though she cried a lot, she had been so incredibly happy. The new mother hadn't wanted to let her baby go, and so Hiei reassured her by promising to keep watch over her. Botan's doctor would keep her safe while he was away.

So, here he was, watching as a nurse picked up his baby girl to bring her in for testing. Already, she was a trooper, hardly crying over all the hullabaloo. She had such a light around her as Hiei watched her disappear from view. He couldn't wait to finally hold her again in his arms. The thought brought a smile to his face.

"Beautiful child."

Hiei's expression darkened immediately. "What are you doing here?" he asked darkly, his eyes moving to the enforcer he had once known.

Toguro merely shrugged. "Passing along a message."

"I want nothing to do with the mob," Hiei hissed quietly. "That bastard promised-"

"Mr. Sakyo has extended an invitation for dinner, to celebrate the publishing of your book and the birth of your daughter," Toguro replied. "Nothing more."

"Feh," Hiei spat. "I want nothing to do with any of you. Why now?"

Toguro's nonchalant attitude dropped for a moment, and he tipped his glasses to glare at the teenager. "Planning on writing a sequel?"

There was a threat. Hiei could hear it, and his expression turned grim. "No," he admitted. "That is all I intended to write. If I had planned to expose him, then the cops would have been on him already. We done?"

"Your attitude never changes," Toguro chuckled, returning his gaze to the innocent children in front of them. "If that's the case, then dinner will be rather amicable. Friday. Tell no one, and I mean no one. You, the girl, and the child are the only ones we expect to see."

"Whatever," Hiei grunted. "Unbelievable. I was never in the mob, and yet I still can't get away."

"It's a friendly dinner, kid," Toguro reiterated. "Just be there."

Toguro walked away leaving Hiei trying to rein in his emotions. It had been months since Hiei had heard anything regarding Sakyo. He believed that he was in the clear, but it seems he believed wrong. What did he want from him?

"Excuse me, sir," a woman said, coming up to him. She was clearly a hospital employee. "Your daughter is being brought back to your wife."

Hiei's whole countenance softened as opposed to moments ago. "Thank you," he spoke before he took off for the private room.

* * *

He stayed by the door an extra minute, watching Botan rock their daughter. It looked like Botan had gotten some rest while he was away, and that thought relieved him. "Oh, Hinata," Botan cooed happily. "You're so beautiful. You're going to have daddy wrapped around your fingers, aren't you?" Hiei could not disagree with that assessment. "We're so happy you're here, though you were really hard on mommy today, huh?" At that moment, Hinata chose to open her eyes and Botan beamed so brightly.

It was then that Hiei decided to enter the room, making his presence known. Botan's smile and sparkling eyes landed on him as he moved to embrace her while being mindful of their little bundle. Hinata let out a yawn before red eyes closed once again. Hiei released a contented sigh as he and Botan sat on her bed. He was being quiet, however, and that was not something Botan expected.

"You all right?" she questioned lightly, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it.

He squeezed back and placed a kiss to her palm. "Yeah," he replied. "Just had an unwanted visitor."

Botan's eyes widened. "Who?"

"Tony Toguro," Hiei scoffed, and Botan instantly paled. "Don't worry. They're not bringing me into the mob. Sakyo wants us to have dinner with him and tell no one."

"For what purpose?"

"Beats the hell out of me," Hiei remarked, taking his daughter from Botan. Like her mother, Hinata already seemed to be able to chase his anger away. "What do you want to do?"

"You're asking me?" Botan marveled, stunned that Hiei would be asking her opinion. Sure, they had come a long way since Tarukane's death, and Hiei had learned to make decisions together. As a couple, they had to, but this topic was something Hiei had always chosen to handle alone.

"You're my wife," Hiei reminded her, rocking his drifting daughter to sleep. "I could find a way to contact him and demand an explanation. Despite no longer being a part of his life, I'm sure Shizuru still has his number somewhere.

"True," Botan sighed. "But you're leaning towards going, aren't you?"

"A bit," Hiei admitted, "but if you say not to go then we won't go."

Botan sighed. "Ironically, Sakyo was the most honest we were dealing with," Botan stated. "If he's not looking to bring you into the mob, maybe it would be okay to see what he wants."

Hiei nodded solemnly. She was right, he believed. After all, Sakyo had just told them his plans and then walked away, and he claimed that he never forced anyone into the mob. Still, if he wanted something, he was not above murder. He did also say he would never bring woman and children into something except when he was trying to buy Tarukane's trust. Could he trust the words of a mobster?

"Hey," Botan called softly, her hand resting on his. "No matter what he wants, we're in this together."

Hiei maneuvered their child so that he was holding her with one arm, grasping Botan's hand in his. If there was anything he knew after all their shared experiences, it was that they could make it through anything together. This day proved it even more. "You're right," he admitted, sighing. Whatever trial laid before them, they could handle it.

* * *

A/N: Yup, this is a two-parter drabble, though when I will write the next part I have no idea. Don't worry; it won't be the start of a new series. I didn't have enough ideas for that, but some post ToL moments would be fun. I'm sure all of you can agree. Anyway, thanks for reading, both this series and if you read ToL or any of my other stories.


	9. Rebellion

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't been focused on this drabble series as much, but hey, that's its purpose. It's for me to come back to when I'm struck with inspiration about our favorite pairing (well, to some of us our favorite ^^). Other than continuations of series and random blurbs coming together, I've got a song-fic style drabble planned, but today I was struck with inspiration in another form. I bought this notebook, and I just cracked it open today and there are quotes on each page. I figured maybe some of these quotes would spark something, and the first page already did, so within this drabble series, in between other drabbles, I'll have a small challenge series that I would like to call the **Dream Big Sequence.** So, without further ado, here's **Dream Big Sequence Part 1.**

* * *

" _The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."_ \- Walter Bagehot

* * *

To say Hiei was the rebellious type would be an understatement. His aim in life lied solely in getting stronger and accomplishing whatever ideals would hit him. He lived for no one else for he had no one. He was always looking out for himself, even when he was a child. Sure, he had lived with a band of thieves for years after his birth, a birth that was, in a way, also unorthodox. The fire demon was bore strong to a race of weaklings, a man to a race of women, fire that would one day defiantly consume the ice. He was the revolt.

Throughout his life, Hiei had but one, sole purpose: to find his homeland and destroy it.

It was his birthright to destroy the race which discarded him, and it was a task he was all but up for, the idea of seeing his mother lingering in the back of his mind.

When he had finally found his mother's land, his body fought in protest of his mind. He had wanted to incinerate the accursed village the second he stepped foot onto the snowy path. As he walked, his body tensed. The women all looked at him with fear, a stranger, a man, and they ran inside in fear leaving nothing but silence in his wake. The women were but phantoms in their own world. His mind finally caught up with his body, his desire to destroy gone.

" _They were already dead."_

It was expected of the fire demon to give those maidens a cruel and unjust death. The clan leader had put that constraint on him. His birthright was in front of him, and all he had to do was perform the act. He cared not for the lives of the women and their daughters. He _should_ conform to the society's ideals. He should have given into their beliefs.

He turned away.

Leaving the village behind, he forged his own path, his own future, in defiance of the women. He learned of his mother's passing and of his twin sister's existence and disappearance. It led him into battle with Spirit World, using their artifacts to once again fulfill his purposes, breaking into a vault. Demons were not permitted in Spirit World, yet he broke in with two others as if it were nothing, commonplace. One day, he planned to destroy all the Spirit World drones. He ended up working for them instead.

How pathetic he was for not only getting himself caught by a weakling human but for agreeing to "community service." Any other demon would have rather rotted in the Spirit World prison instead of joining the fight of Spirit World. However, he was able to use them, stumbling across his sister in the process. When he had attacked that bastard who had hidden her from him, he was ready to give into his anger and murder the man.

" _Don't!"_

The shrill cry of his sister stopped him, and Hiei was appalled that anyone would stop him. Any demon would have wanted the human dead despite Spirit World law. All these years, Hiei had told himself to listen to no one, and yet he surrendered and went against his own code. He threw the limp body of the cretin down and had actually spoken to his twin with warmth he didn't know a fire demon could possess.

Yes, all his life, Hiei rebelled, even against himself, but as the years passed, it grew even worse.

" _Don't ever trust an entity from Spirit World,"_ he remembered a demon telling him long ago. _"They care nothing for us. Don't even try to seduce one. It's not only forbidden…it's bad karma."_

"So, what do you want to do tonight?"

Hiei's eyes snapped to the blue-haired woman sitting beside him. He was surprised she had asked him such a thing, but honestly it made sense. For the longest time, long after the Demon World Tournament, Hiei had found himself frequenting Human World more than he ever thought he would. With the barrier down, and with his sister living at the old woman's temple, Hiei knew he couldn't avoid the place. Besides, he was free to return to Mukuro's stronghold whenever he wanted. Besides, sometimes he needed a break from that infuriating patrol.

It had been years since he crossed the border between worlds to visit Yukina, occasionally check on her. He would remain outside the temple, watching her from a distance and in secret. Then, one day, the oaf he once called a teammate had asked Yukina to live with him and his sister. Hiei had nearly fallen from the tree in shock. Yukina had accepted immediately and she allowed the human to hug her. It took everything for Hiei not to murder the redhead where he stood, but Yukina had no idea that he had been watching.

So, to keep watch over her, he needed to remain in the city, and that was where the ferry girl had stumbled across him. She had heard that Yukina was now living with the Kuwabaras, and she intelligently assumed that Hiei was not pleased. Still, she offered him shelter in the apartment where she stayed. It wasn't the first time she had expressed that he could visit the place whenever he wanted, but it was the first time Hiei needed to spend an extended period of time there.

While Yukina was playing house with the oaf, Hiei regrettably noticed that he had practically done the same with the ferry girl. As time passed, he found himself growing even more comfortable with her presence in his life. He no longer saw her as the enemy.

Surprisingly, Hiei was growing to see her the way she saw him, but it was unintentional. They had spoken to each other at times when he stayed at the apartment. Other times, they sat in silence. It was not that bad, he figured, and he grew to feel relaxed when she was around. She was slowly becoming a confidant – he would never say friend – and he valued her optimistic notions. She definitely saw the world in a different light than he ever could.

He trusted her. That was taboo in the demon realm even now that the three worlds were finding a balance. She was also pleasant to be around, and Hiei could remember a few moments where they had been close, so close he could feel her breath against his skin. Heck, they had even kissed once when they were in a drunken stupor, a night she learned never to add so alcohol into _any_ drink.

Hiei simply shrugged his shoulders in response. He didn't really care _what_ they did. Either way, by spending any amount of leisure time together, they were revolting against the laws and prejudices of their own worlds. He mentally smirked. In a way, Hiei was creating a fellow rebel.


	10. Spa Day

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Thank my buddy dragoscilvio for this one XD We were chatting quite a bit about her drabble idea, and it cracked both of us up, so here ya go. It's time for a trip to the spa.

* * *

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this."

Hiei couldn't help but glare at the smiling ferry girl. She was extremely giddy as the two reached their destination. His eyes narrowed at the building. He really couldn't believe he allowed himself to sink so low as to accompany the ferry girl to a day spa. His who body shuddered with disgust.

Of course, he knew just how the ferry girl managed to convince him. It all started back when he had been residing in the woman's Human World apartment. He had been bored, the rain pouring outside. He grimaced at the thought of going out. Hiei hated the rain and preferred to stay indoors for the day. That unfortunately meant nothing to do for he could not train, not after the one time where the landlady came upstairs to scold Botan for a good half-hour.

For a while after that incident, Botan had gotten a call from Koenma listing all of the duties she needed to complete upon her return the following week. Botan had looked incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of work she'd have to do. Likewise, Hiei had been spying on the oaf and his sister only finding the fool to be rambling his long tirade of poems. It made the fire demon's core tighten and twist. Did the idiot not realize his sister would not fall prey to that useless garbage? Clearly not. Hiei needed a break from all of this.

So, curious as always, he explored the random rooms of the apartment. The room where he resided was practically empty, so there was nothing there, and he dared not enter the woman's room lest it be full of bright, annoying colors, so he ended up in the bathroom of all places. He took notice of all the bottles and containers of…well, he had no idea what they were. Upon picking up one of the containers, one he only found interesting since he saw the word "dead," he realized he had picked up something called a "mud mask." He read the words to make sense of what it actually was and how it functioned. This dead sea mineral mask actually claimed to make skin glow. Hiei imagined something along the lines of radioactivity, but he doubted he woman would be so foolish as to have something like that.

So he went out into the living room, finding the woman with her head thrown back on the couch. She looked completely exasperated, but he didn't care. He wanted answers as to what this mysterious object was. He nearly through the container down on the couch beside her. Botan jumped having been startled. "Oh, Hiei," she called out before looking down at the spot next to her. She looked to him questioningly. "What are you doing with my mud mask?"

"What does it do?" he questioned. "Is it poison?"

Botan almost laughed at the serious demeanor in which Hiei had voiced his whacky question. "No, silly, it's not poison. It's a mask for a facial. It's to help keep the skin healthy. Facials are actually quite relaxing."

Hiei's brow quirked. He had never heard of a facial before, and he wasn't yet convinced it wasn't some type of poison, but the woman did say it was relaxing. "Does it really make your skin glow?"

The ferry girl offered a smile. On the inside, she was cackling at the fire demon's curiosity. She was already starting to feel a little more at ease after her conversation. "I don't know," she told him. "I haven't tried it yet." Hiei's eyes narrowed at her. "You know, after talking to Koenma, a facial sounds pretty good. I think this rainy day calls for a good, old-fashioned spa day. Care to join me?"

Hiei had no idea what he was getting into when he agreed. All he remembered was that he was bored and shrugged saying "what the hell" nonchalantly. Then he was engaged in the most asinine ritual in which he had ever partaken. He remembered Botan applying her mask, and he did not remember what possessed him to join in. Maybe it was because he refused to go back on his word, or maybe it was because he had no idea what was happening. All he remembered was the mask made his face feel tingly, and he regrettably admitted that he enjoyed it.

It was only once he had spent more time with the woman that he learned her spa ritual was a female pastime for relaxation. He remembered returning to the apartment from training only to find the woman with the detective's mate and the oaf's sister watching their romance movies and eating the tiniest sandwiches he had ever seen. His face had flushed red when he realized that the woman had made a fool of him, but then he remembered that she had not really spoken of the incident. She had allowed him his privacy, and again, he could admit he enjoyed it.

After that, Hiei would conveniently show up whenever Botan was looking to have a spa day on her own, and the ferry girl was all but too happy to indulge him. It was in the safety of apartment. Nothing like what he had agreed to this day.

Botan had been having so much fun on hers and Hiei little spa days that she thought they'd actually go all out for once. She had heard about this place when she was flying around performing her duties and the idea had struck her hard, a nice mountain spa that was far away from the city. She doubted any of their friends would frequent the place, so she managed to convince him to join her. This time it had taken convincing between not wanting to be seen doing something so ridiculous to not wanting strange humans to be touching him. Plus, there was the concern that they'd accidentally strike his third eye. Botan had given him all the reassurances in the world.

So here they were.

Hiei glared at anyone who dared look his way, Botan not missing a beat as she continued to walk, a sprightly hop to her step. The fire demon questioned why she was so giddy over this.

Botan spoke to the attendant who asked her a series of questions about skin care products she and Hiei had used in the past. Hiei honestly had no idea what they had used in the past. Weren't all these things the same? Apparently not, as he was given a menu by the overly chipper woman behind the counter. He looked over to the ferry girl and saw her filling out her own brochure while he had yet to look. He actually end up caught up in trying to decide if he wanted the mineral mask or the charcoal. Charcoal sounded more like himself.

"Maybe we should do the pedicure too," Botan hummed in thought, and Hiei immediately felt awkward. Wasn't that the activity with the paint he had the displeasure of watching when the other girls were there? The ferry girl glanced at him and smiled. "Of course, you don't have to get the nail polish. Just the experience is good enough. It'll be like the facial, but just on the feet."

Hiei had never felt so vulnerable before with such a decision placed in front of him…being made for him as Botan handed their lists back to the woman. "Absolutely, now, right this way you two. Oh, and can we offer you a couples massage."

"No!" Hiei practically screamed, amused eyes of both the ferry girl and attendant on him. He sneered at them both. "That will not be necessary," he growled out.

"Of course," the woman replied, leading them to the back. Hiei could not help but think that this whole experienced had better damn well been worth the humiliation.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the day actually had gone by smoothly. Hiei and Botan found themselves in those massage chairs, the spa women working on their feet while the two had their facial masks hardening. They had been given a tray of finger sandwiches and glasses full of cucumber water. All in all, everything was relaxing and Hiei found the food quite tasty. Botan offered him the rest of the tray when she had her fill, and he was all too happy to finish the rest.

The woman had convinced him to do everything from body scrubs to seaweed wraps to mud baths, the two eventually ending up in a relaxing sauna. Hiei predicted that Botan had saved it for last. Hiei enjoyed the heat, and he knew she knew this fact after spending so much time together in the past during his random visits and now during his extended stay. The two were currently resting on the wooden benches, Botan up at the top lying on her back, and Hiei down at the bottom, also lying on his back while occasionally casting a glance up at the woman. She looked so serene, as she lied there with her eyes closed, the white robe wrapped around her form. Her skin looked flushed from the heat, but she didn't seem to mind. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, the soft beat having a strangely calming effect on him.

"Hiei, could you pour water over the stones?" The request came, and Hiei nodded though he was certain the woman couldn't see. As the water was poured, steam filled the room, and both Botan and Hiei sighed in contentment. Yes, this had turned out to be well worth everything.

Hiei lied back down and noticed a small smile on the ferry girl's face. He wondered if she had been entertaining the idea of spilling their little secret. He hoped not, for he would end up giving something he thoroughly enjoyed. He decided to check to make sure she wouldn't spill and ended up hearing a thought he never thought he would.

 _I really enjoy spending time with him,_ Botan mused. _I know he made me promise not to tell, but I wouldn't have anyway. I wouldn't want anything to ruin this time we have together, just the two of us. I'd be absolutely furious if the guys ever found out and made me lose my spa buddy._

A smirk graced the fire demon's features, and he closed the connection. It appeared the ferry girl was just as territorial over her spa days with him. It was a strange sentiment, but that strange woman was full of those. It stopped surprising him long ago. Still, he would never understand why she'd enjoy spending time with him so much. That was another thought for another day. For now, he just wanted to relax and enjoy their time there.

* * *

The two had finished up and were ready to leave. The woman at the counter had given them gift bags of product samples that they could try on their next at home spa day, and somehow the women at the counter and Botan had managed to convince him to agree to a monthly arrangement. That was fine. He would need a break from spying on Kuwabara anyway. The thought alone was already causing stress.

"So, that wasn't so bad, huh?" Botan questioned as the two walked away from the counter. Hiei merely shrugged as an answer which made the woman giggle. Then, all time stopped as something completely unexpected happen.

In that moment, Botan and Hiei were met with a pair of familiar emerald eyes which recognized them instantly. "Hiei? Botan?"

The two blinked at Kurama, the fox demon's hair wrapped in a fluffy white towel and his face covered in a light brown mud mask. All three of them couldn't help but shriek in shock.

"EHHHHHH?"

* * *

A/N: XD Now that was scarily fun to write. Thanks again, drago, for suggesting this one to me. Super cute. And it helped me in actually being active on this drabble series again. I have another that I plan to write soon, but this, this is my favorite so far ^_^


	11. Opportunity

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hey, everyone. Here's another suggestion from my friend dragoscilvio. It involves my favorite Broadway play (that I wish I could see, though I'd be disappointed that it's not the original cast). So, spoiler warning. If you haven't seen and hope to see _The Phantom of the Opera_ and are unfamiliar with the story and wish to be surprised, don't read. I go through a great deal of the plot, up to the ending, so yeah. I only just thought to do a spoiler warning for that XD

So without further ado, **Dream Big Sequence 2**

* * *

" _Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises."_ – Demosthenes

* * *

The sound of a high-pitched scream had thrusted Hiei out of his nightmares, and he growled over being disturbed. Crimson eyes blinked to rid himself of the last remnants of sleep, the fire demon rubbing a hand over his face as he scoffed. What was the woman doing? The scream did not sound like hers. Was that the blasted television? Why was it so loud? His eyes went to the clock and narrowed. He had only just come to bed a few hours prior in the middle of the night. The woman was never up this early, and she was usually very mindful of him as her "roommate," as she would call him. What was her deal?

The fire demon ventured from the room, hearing some strange, soft song playing. The lyrics seemed complex and dark. He couldn't help but focus on them as he made his way to the living space to confront the woman. _"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness wakes and stirs imagination."_ Hiei's brow raised in curiosity. He was now looking at the woman who was sitting by a box and listening intensely. _"Silently the senses abandon their defenses, helpless to resist the notes I write, for I compose the Music of the Night."_

As the song continued, Botan turned around and noticed him. She appeared shocked before she offered him a sheepish smile. "Oh, good morning, Hiei," she greeted. "I'm surprised you're up this early."

Right, she had woken him up. His lip curled back in a sneer. Of course she had to remind him. "I wasn't," he replied curtly. "I was awoken by a scream." He saw Botan grimace guiltily. Maybe she had been the cause of it.

"Sorry about that," Botan offered. "I wasn't really prepared for how the last song was going to end. I had trouble sleeping last night, so I finally just gave up and listened to this CD Kurama got me." She grinned at the fire demon. "It's a classic play that's on Broadway in America, _The Phantom of the Opera_." When Hiei didn't react she just continued. "In any case, since you're awake now, would you like to listen with me?"

Hiei's voice cut like a knife. "I have better things to do."

Botan's cheerful expression fell. "Oh, well that's all right," she murmured. _I mean, I was the one who woke him. He probably doesn't want to be anywhere near me right now._

The stray thought was caught by the Jagan, and Hiei sighed in frustration, his crankiness not disappearing as he regrettably asked, "What is it about?"

Light returned to Botan's eye, the excited smile returning. "It's about this 'phantom' who lives in the shadows of an opera house, and he falls in love with this lovely singer and trains her under the guise of 'The Angel of Music.' When this well-known singer gets upset and quits the show, that leaves this young woman, Christine, as the one to sing her part. And that sets the whole story in motion as her childhood lover returns wanting to see her while the phantom, still hiding in the shadows, wants to enchant Christine and where I am now was just after he hypnotized her to follow him down into the catacombs where he's hiding, and now he's singing one of the defining songs of the play, _'Music of the Night.'"_

Surprisingly enough, the plot did pique Hiei's interest, though if television at Kurama's house was anything to go by, anything with singing, those annoying musicals his stepbrother watched, were hardly worth it. Still, even though he had announced he had better to do, he really didn't. He figured it wouldn't hurt to listen to the story and see how it played out. To him, the phantom seemed like a relatable character. He entered the living room and sat down, Botan beaming at him as he did so.

"Would you like me to start the play over? We can read over the script together," she suggested.

Hiei shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

A few more songs and a murder later, and the story had done enough to completely capture Hiei's interest. This phantom character was as malevolent as they came. He was sinister and dark, a character the fire demon could admire. Though this play started out as a pathetic romance, it was slowly getting good, and Hiei was excited for the unavoidable confrontation.

" _No more talk of darkness. Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you. Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry -your tears. I'm here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you."_

Hiei sneered at the voice of the other man in the dark love triangle. After the murder had occurred, the woman, Christine, had her little mental breakdown realizing that she had been dealing with a sinister murderer. No she was begging her former lover her to love her and protect her from the one man who would do her no harm, the one who saw her as his light.

The fire demon's eyes went to the ferry girl, the blue-haired woman smiling at the song, no doubt internally gushing over the romance between the two. She was delusional like that, a hopeless romantic. This was right up her ally, though it was making him feel nauseated.

As their love song ended, the music silencing, the broken, eerie voice of the phantom sang once more. _"I gave you my music. Made your song take wing. And now, how you've repaid me: denied me and betrayed me. He was bound to love you when he heard you sing. Christine. Christine."_

The new couple began to repeat their singing, this time, the phantom unveiling his anger. Hiei smirked. Of course the man wouldn't have taken the competition lying down, and he caused a huge scene to boot, the chandelier crashing down according to the script. Botan's eyes were wide, but as soon as the CD went to the medley of instrumentals indicating the end of the first act, she breathed out a relieved sigh and smiled at Hiei. "Well, that was intense and a little unexpected," she stated, his expression remaining impassive. "But the music is amazing, isn't it?"

"Hn," Hiei grunted, shrugging. To be honest, if he had to suffer through something like this, he could admit that the music was at least decent enough to not grate on his nerves…except that song with that bitch, Carlotta. He hoped the phantom would slay her next.

Botan looked to the clock as the song was coming to a close. "Do you want to wait and have breakfast before starting the second half?"

"We've gotten this far," Hiei grumbled. "Might as well finish it."

The ferry girl grinned at him, and he had to ignore the way her expression had made his stomach roil with agitation. "Sounds like a plan to me."

* * *

The second half proved to be even more compelling than the first. It had taken place months after the destruction of the chandelier, and the phantom had seemingly disappeared, luring all of those among the opera house into a false sense of security. Everyone had been thrilled over the peaceful haze that when the phantom finally made his appearance at the New Year's party, everyone was horrified, including Christine.

The men had made a plan involving the woman to attempt to capture the phantom once and for all thinking they had the power, but the phantom had written a dark opera and had crafted it to fit his plans. He knew full well the intent that everyone had to have him captured. But everything was designed by the phantom to murder the male lead, take his place, and then escape with Christine. Of course, not everything went according to plan as his objectives became known and the woman who had kept his presence in the opera house hidden had finally betrayed the phantom and told Christine's lover, Raoul, where to find him.

Meanwhile, the most souring confrontation had finally happened, a musical and heart-wrenching conversation between the phantom and Christine. She had finally accepted that he was no angel of music, and she feared she would become a victim to his bloodlust. The phantom then fully confided in her the curse of his life, to be damned with his horribly disfigured face, a face that not even a mother could love, and how it forced him to live alone in the shadows. To say that the message had triggered Hiei to the point where he felt nothing but anger and bitterness was an understatement. Christine had felt much empathy towards the phantom, pitied him, and then her lover had caught up.

The phantom demanded Christine choose him in exchange for Raoul's life to which the other man begged her not to give in. Either way, the phantom would have her, willingly or not, and Christine had come to the realization that despite her despair over the phantom's tragedy that she had been deceived and had given her mind to a total stranger. She then had to make her choice.

And what surprised Hiei was that this woman full of kindness and light, one who had been against everything the depraved phantom had stood for, performed an act full of kindness and love to show the man that he was not alone. As a response to her truly gentle and caring gesture, the phantom chose to let her go. Bittersweet as the ending was, it made sense to Hiei. That was the natural course for the cursed and damned, to be forever alone. At least whoever wrote this piece knew of the true state of the worlds.

Botan had stopped the CD, though surprisingly a tear escaped her. Hiei's brow furrowed, and she met his perplexed gaze, chuckling weakly. "Sorry, I know how you feel about displays of emotion," she attempted to placate although Hiei never asked for an explanation.

"Hn," Hiei scoffed. "Doesn't matter. At least that wasn't the worst way to spend a morning."

"You liked it?" Botan asked, excitement clearly dancing in her eyes. "Oh, I hoped you would. So, what did you like about it? What was your favorite part?"

Hiei smirked sinisterly and admitted, "I really liked that phantom character. I was rooting for him the entire time."

"I thought you might," Botan replied, not sound of judgment. "To be honest, I was too. I guess that's why I'm a little sad over the ending."

The fire demon looked affronted. "You mean you didn't want her with that other bastard?"

Botan giggled and shook her head. "Not at all. You'd probably think I'm crazy, but I really wanted the phantom to truly find love. He deserved that much regardless. Everyone deserves to be loved."

Hiei didn't say anything. Instead, the conversation was ended, and the two decided to sit in silence reflecting on the play and their conversation before they moved on and Botan cooked them breakfast. Hiei was still bewildered by the ferry girl's thoughts on the play. He had expected someone as virtuous as her to be rooting against the evil and malevolent, but she proved once again that she was different from the other fools in Spirit World. Hiei wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she was a part of their group which consisted mostly of demons by this point. It gave her different views that others in Spirit World would condemn in their stuck-up, condescending way.

Botan wasn't like that, and Hiei wondered how he hadn't seen that before this present moment. He should have given that he was the slowly becoming the one in their group that spent the most time with the woman. They had their moments, but the fire demon could admit that she wasn't the worst and most useless of their group (in his mind, that award went to Kuwabara). Botan was bright, vibrant, and kind as much as she was overly sentimental and klutzy.

And he was the one of whom she had chosen to award her kindness.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she had ended up destroying his unwanted nightmares with her silly music and play. Despite his initial repulsion at wasting his time, maybe it wasn't such a waste. If anything, this "musical" had provided with an opportunity he would never have taken. It had given him this chance to see the ferry girl in new light as well as get to know her character. His mind decided that he actually kind of liked having this woman for a roommate.


	12. In a Tree

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

So I'm a little behind on Hiei X Botan week XD It's supposed to have started, yesterday, March 12th, but I didn't get around to working on anything. So, I decided just to do some drabbles. I had a couple ideas that could be used for the prompts. This one was actually inspired by jtdarkman. Thanks for the idea!

Today's (well, yesterday's) Prompt: Gift

* * *

Hiei was never one to care about the exchange of gifts. He had been around his teammates long enough to see how they were on holidays and birthdays of others. In Demon World, it was a common practice, but having anything of value could be one's undoing. He knew that much with his hiruiseki stone he now proudly wore now that the truth was out with his sister. At least he could defend himself.

Giving someone a physical gift was pointless. They'd like it, sure, even the thought that counted, but after a long time, gifts would just sit at the sidelines and rarely ever be looked at or thought of again. His eyes narrowed…pointless.

Of course, it didn't mean he wasn't still thinking about gifting something to someone. It's just, he didn't know what to get. It had been a little over a year since he began frequenting the ferry girl's apartment, or rather Spirit World's safe house. In that short time, his life had changed drastically. He had participated in activities he never would have, learned to relax, got some dirt on the fox he could hold in his back pocket, and now he and Yukina both knew the truth and he received her utmost acceptance. There was only one person to thank for all of that.

Botan. And today was her birthday…or spirit rebirth day…he wasn't sure, honestly.

Everyone was celebrating at the hag's temples, Yukina having baked a cake. It did something to his insides to see how well the ice maiden got along with the ferry girl. The two were very close, and had become closer since everything had come out. She was just about to open her gifts from all their friends. He hadn't gotten her anything. Nothing he could pillage from the Human World stores did his gratitude justice.

It wasn't until they returned home around sunset that Hiei had an idea. Who said his gift needed to be of monetary value? All she had done for him had been more meaningful than that.

"Well, that was really fun," the woman chimed, her blue hair shifting as she turned to face him. "I hope you had a nice time too."

A shrug was her answer, and she just beamed one of her bright smiles. Once again, something happened to Hiei's insides, and he wasn't sure how to react to this. Why would it matter to her that he had a good time on her rebirthday…or whatever it was? His answer seemed to satisfy her, and she walked towards the window, kneeling down and looking out towards the colorful sky. She took a deep breath and sighed, relaxed. It was then the idea took root in his mind.

"We should go," he stated, earning two confused, fuchsia eyes. His cheeks grew a little heated, but thankfully no color would show. He was a fire demon for crying out loud and able to control his emotions better than most. Still, he couldn't help but cast his eyes to the floor, looking bashful. "There's something we need to do."

Botan blinked twice, not at all understanding Hiei's words, but she had long learned to stop questioning her occasional roommate. "Alright," she replied monotonously, getting up from the floor. "Um, where to?"

Crimson met amethyst, Hiei's gaze completely unreadable.

"Follow me."

* * *

Botan happily skipped in the park, admiring the peaceful scenery. She was surprised when Hiei had brought her here, especially since he was leading her so deep into the wooded area. Though she had no clue what they were doing there, it was definitely nice and warm out, and she loved being outside. What a perfect way to end her birthday.

Eventually Hiei stopped, and Botan practically crashed into the immovable fire demon. She was worried he'd be cross with her, but he just walked a few feet further to a large tree. Botan eyes it curiously, and then shifted her gave to Hiei. "Why'd you stop?"

"We're here," he told her, looking up and pointed. "Up there."

Her head tilted, Botan looking completely lost. Her doe-eyed expression made Hiei swallow down nerves that bubbled up out of nowhere. "Just fly up, ferry girl," he growled.

"Alright, alright," Botan pacified. "No need to be grouchy."

Botan manifested her oar and started to rise up, Hiei releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He wondered how she always managed to do that to him, especially as of late. It was starting to become worrisome for the fire demon. Could he perhaps be sick? No, that was ridiculous. The only time he was sick was usually when water was involved.

He flashed out of sight and joined Botan at that top of the tree. She was already sitting on a branch high up. When Hiei joined her, standing on the edge of the branch, Botan finally questioned him. "Not that I don't enjoy the park, but what exactly are we doing here?"

Hiei's eyes met hers again, this time more forceful and guarded. He then shifted his gaze to the clouds above them. "Look up," he told her.

Botan did, and her eyes widened and the beauty surrounding them. They had a much better and clearer view of the sunset clouds than they did from the apartment, and Botan was just in awe by all of it. The hues of pinks, purples, blues, and oranges mixed and blended together is such a gorgeous array. Her mouth dropped open before she looked to Hiei again. He still wasn't looking at her, but he eventually sat down beside her, also enjoying the scenery. Botan understood his silence, understood what all of this was.

To show him she was truly thankful for his unspoken gift, she took his bandaged hand in hers, the fire demon flinching slightly before awarding her a cautionary glance. Botan simply smiled, moving slower this time and wrapping her soft fingers around his tensed fist. Surprisingly enough, Hiei warily outstretched his palm and allowed the woman to hold his hand. Something he would have never allowed before, something she never thought to do before.

The two continued to enjoy the solace of each other's presence when Hiei looked to Botan once more. Her attention was on the glowing sky, yet to him she was the radiant one standing out. The second she took his hand, his core palpitated in such a bizarre way that he had never felt before in his life. That tumultuous feeling he felt any time she flashed him a smile or bonded with his sister seemed to strike him again, this time settling as he allowed her to take his hand. His thoughts were in such disarray that it was laughable. He was thankful he was the only mind reader of the group, though the fox did give off the strange ability comparable to mindreading.

As if sensing his gaze on her, Botan cast hers to Hiei, looking completely baffled. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked nervously, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Like what?" Hiei spoke, his voice sounding far more distant and deep than he intended. His mind was already being clouded with this random desire he couldn't explain.

"Like…like…" Botan tried to think. She put her finger to her chin and looked up, trying to come up with the words to describe the look in her friend's eyes. It finally came to her, and she whispered out, "Like I'm something you want to steal."

Hiei smirked like the deviant he was. So that was the look she thought she saw. Well, she wasn't that far from the truth, at least in that moment. He guessed it was hard to kill old habits, but he was pretty sure despite the veracity of her words that there was something much softer she'd overlooked. Perhaps she was more innocent than she seemed to be regardless of her voyeurism.

"You are a conundrum."

"What?" Botan questioned, even more confused. Hiei just snickered, and Botan's temper flared up. "Now you're just being me-"

And seconds later, she was silenced, in a way that neither of them ever thought possible.

The fire demon didn't know what had overtaken him in that moment, but after all of the moments he spent with her, their discussions, her pushing the normal boundaries of what he was used to, and even their almost kiss from her pesky truth or dare game, he finally decided to give into once, singular impulse. He kissed her, plain and simple, and to be honest it felt like nothing he'd ever experienced. He wondered why he became so paralyzed when she met him on his challenge way back.

When he pulled away from her, that pleasant feeling left, and he was met with the reality of the situation. His expression grew nervous, his cheeks flushing red as Botan gaped at him like he had kicked her. Eventually, her expression matched his, well, the color of her cheeks. She simply flashed him a sheepish, shy grin before turning her gaze back to the cloud. Hiei looked down between them, her hand still on his. She may have been surprised, may have looked away, but seeing her entwine their fingers told him that she was not completely opposed to what he had just done.

Meanwhile, in Botan's mind, she had already been on cloud nine. She never expected Hiei to get her anything. Honestly, he had no currency for this world. Him showing up to her birthday party had been enough, and she had already been at peace with that. Bringing her to the park just because it was her birthday had made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The even more surprising turn of events was the kiss he had given her. She vaguely remembered one once before when she had gotten them both drunk accidentally, but this was different. This, Hiei chose to do. It wasn't a dare or accident. If she was being honest with herself, it was the best gift Hiei could have given her.

She closed her eyes, smiling brightly and mentally hummed to herself, lightly kicking her feet back and forth.

 _Me and Hiei, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-_

 _Woman…_ Hiei growled through a telepathic connection making Botan's eyes shoot open as she froze. _Shut up…_

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, jtdarkman. Your review inspired this one XD So, I will be working on the next Hiei X Botan Week post in just a few minutes, but I figured this is a good start :) Hope you all enjoyed! Look out for another update today!


	13. Keep the Car Running

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters, or the song "Keep the Car Running" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Okay, so this is actually for today's HXB Week Prompt: AU.

I've been toying with this idea for ages for this series, and this just kicked me into gear to write it :D I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

 _There are days when I feel that everything that's good is gone  
There are times that I feel no matter what I do, it's wrong  
I've walked these streets alone just living day to day  
Clocking in, fading out, don't tell me what I'm feeling now  
You shook my dreams away_

It was a day Hiei hoped would have never come, a day where everything about his shit storm of a life was going to take a drastic hit. He had spent his entire life desiring the moment, but over the course of the last year, his opinion had changed drastically. He had hated this dirt-poor town and nearly all of its inhabitants. Despite having friends and his estranged sister, Hiei had nothing else he cared for in the Godforsaken town.

Until her.

Graduation was fast approaching, and then Hiei was hightailing it out of the town. It had been his plan since freshman year, and it would not change. There was a world out there, one that was better suited for him. He wasn't used to staying in one place for so long. It was time to move on from this town that held so many terrible memories. Of course, the past year made up for nearly all of them, ever since that blue-haired menace had taken notice of him.

She was the principal's daughter, a straight A, bright-eyed student with dreams of grandeur. Everyone liked her, all the girls, including her sister, wanted to be her best friend. Most of the guys drooled or leered over her except for those in their group and, originally, him.

Because she had befriended all of his friends, Hiei spent more time with her than he ever would have imagined. When she first joined their group for lunch, invited by Yukina, he had sneered when she greeted him. He despised this girl who appeared to have a perfect life. He despised her older brother Koenma who criticized him for being a lousy good-for-nothing. He despised her father for thinking the same way, the man giving him detention always for being late or skipping classes. Why did Hiei need to go to class, anyway? It's not like he had plans for the future.

Hiei, he was a special case. He had been orphaned as a child, his sister being adopted by a loving woman who did not do the same for him. They were too little to express their desires to anyone, only about three, old enough to remember each other, but not old enough to have a say in wanting to stay together. He had run away when he was six, lived on the streets and hid from anyone trying to find him. Eventually, his childhood friend from preschool did, and his mother took Hiei in and got him into school. He was so far behind that it was a struggle to catch up, one of the reasons he still hated school until this day.

His eighteen birthday was just around the corner, the day of graduation, and then he'd be a free man, able to go and do whatever he wanted without the constraints of living a normal life. It had been his dream since his third grade teacher locked him in a room demanding he do course work ranging from first to third grade. God, he hated that woman, too…

Actually, most of the people he despised in his life were women, and that was another reason Hiei decided to stay far, far away from the pedestalled Botan. She stood for everything he loathed.

 _Tired of waiting around  
Now, what are we becoming  
Keep the car running_

It was one, rainy day after school where Hiei was walking home. He wasn't one to take the bus, full of loud, screaming teenagers he'd rather pummel into the ground. He had already gotten into his share of fights on the bus, and Shiori had to deal with the fallout, so he chose walking to school instead. It was days like these that put a damper to his plans.

"Hiei?" The spiky-haired teen looked over to see Botan gaping at him, holding her bright pink umbrella, her brother Koenma standing beside her with narrowed eyes holding his own blue one. Botan looked between Hiei and the rain, and then she smiled at him. Actually. Smiled. At. Him. "Do you need a ride?"

Hiei heard her brother scoff in derision, and he couldn't help but bear his teeth at that. He didn't need to be reviled by some brownnosing pretty boy. About to snap back at the girl for daring to suggest anything so ridiculous, she simple walked over to him, covering him with her umbrella. "It's okay. We can share so you don't get wet." She looked over to her brother with cheerful, warm eyes. "Would you mind bringing the car, brother?"

Internally, Hiei snickered at the irritation Botan's request brought in her brother, and honestly, walking home in the rain didn't appeal to him, so this actually all benefitted him in the long run. Loud enough for Koenma to hear, Hiei cockily said words that Botan took as sincerest gratitude.

"Thanks for the ride."

 _The only answer I know  
Never taking it slow  
Just it keep it coming  
Keep the car running_

That simple moment that was offered to him started a chain reaction of subsequent moments. By accepting the ride and actually "thanking" the woman, she seemed to think that they had become best compatriots…Hiei would never say the word friend, ever. It changed the dynamic of their group, everyone watching the subtle interactions between the two when Botan offered Hiei more of her snack, noticing he enjoyed sweet things. In the classes they shared, Botan would pass Hiei infuriating little notes and actually request for Hiei to be her partner on projects.

It amazed him. Honestly, Hiei hated projects, and he barely did them when he worked alone, working with a partner, he was just there. Everyone saw a guy who was useless, not intelligent, going nowhere in life, but Botan didn't seem to mind it. In fact, when he asked her what possessed her to involve herself with the idiotic likes of him, Botan merely smiled and told him she didn't think he was an idiot, that he just didn't like applying himself in academics, but he could do anything he put his mind to.

Just what the hell was she? A fortune cookie?

But he had to admit, it sounded kind of nice. Made him feel a lot better about himself, too. Jeez, what was she doing to him? It was just plain sad.

 _I'm not leaving without you, you're the one I can't lose  
Say goodbye to all the things in life that tried to pull us down  
Yeah, we'll make something out of nothing  
Yeah, yeah, keep the car running_

Botan had taught him to see the world in a different light. To him, life was inconsequential, cruel, and debilitating, but to Botan life was bright, generous, and invigorating. He couldn't understand her energy and idiotic optimism. He told her that on many occasions, and she just dared to laugh it off barely noticing the twitch of his brow. That laugh of hers eventually became Hiei's melody, and her optimism was his guide. He managed to get through school, his grades coming up shocking all of his teachers. He remembered Botan's father calling him down to the office to accuse him of cheating. He would never forget the priceless look on the man's face when Hiei informed him he was studying with his daughter or the choice words that left the principal's mouth when he condemned the student. Part of the reason he even spent time with Botan aside from her forcing those situations was just to see her father's and brother's faces every time he threw it in them.

"Hiei!" he heard, and his attention shifted to his girlfriend. They had been official for several months now, mainly in secret. No, it wasn't a secret they spent time together outside of school. Neither her father nor brother were happy or approved, but neither prevented Botan from living her life. It didn't mean she didn't hear the end of it, though, one of her common complaints on her family.

Right now, she was racing towards him, on a hill in the outskirts of the wretched town. Hiei was leaning against the used car Shiori had gifted him for successfully graduating. Though she wasn't his mother, she was the closest thing he had to one. He was lucky Kurama had found him all those years ago or this vision in front of him would not exist. How was it every time he saw her, she only seemed to look more beautiful?

She approached him, looking at his shoddy car with delight. An unbridled grin met his stoic gaze. "Is this it?" Hiei nodded once, and Botan beamed. "Oh, Hiei. You must be so happy! You can finally get out of this place."

Eyes widened before Hiei's expression darkened. It was the phrase he didn't want to hear, not from her. Yes, he wanted to leave, but that wasn't why he called her there. No, he did not want to leave the town without her. He had never voiced this notion, but he knew that she'd be ready to say "goodbye" when he was not. She had a life, a future. He had an escape. That escape was empty unless she was there by his side, but he could never ask her what he wanted, could he?

When she got no response and saw Hiei's downtrodden countenance, Botan's brow furrowed with worry. "Hiei, are you okay?"

 _I can hear the sound of that dream  
Where the engines fill the boulevard  
Innocence is never lost  
When you feel it pounding in your heart_

Hiei released a bitter chuckle at the question. Was he okay? He was never okay, not unless he was with her. That was what his life had been missing for so long, and he was completely blind to it until Botan continuously showered him with attention and affection. After getting to know her, Hiei became attached and attracted to the woman, a dangerous combination when her father was in charge of him. Hiei never really cared about that, always the rebel.

For the longest time, their interactions were innocent, but when he learned of the woman Botan was hiding inside her precious mind, Hiei couldn't help but see her as a kindred spirit. Their moments became more frequent, and their activities became less chaste. His desires for her couldn't be contained, and Botan didn't seem to mind in the slightest, the rebel in her shining through.

His crimson eyes met her amethyst orbs, and Botan could see the emotion behind them as she always could. Her expression became serious, knowing what was about to happen. She had been conflicted over this moment, highly so. Her heart knew what it wanted, but her mind was questioning her decision. If Hiei asked her, she didn't know what her answer would be.

"Come with me." As much as it sounded like an order, it was a request, and Botan could say "no" if she wanted. If she did, Hiei would leave, walk out of her life forever. She didn't know if she wanted that.

"I…"

"I know what you're thinking," Hiei hurriedly said. "I'm not being impulsive or crazy. You knew this was a part of my life I needed to live, but you involved yourself anyway. I can't leave without you, woman, even if I wanted to. I know you have an image and responsibilities to uphold for your family, but we both know you don't want them. Leave them behind here. We'll make out own path, you and me."

 _Don't tell me it's over now  
This ain't the time to rest  
Bruised and battered, torn and tattered  
Look at me, it doesn't matter  
Still got some fight left_

Botan hesitated in answering, not because she didn't want to do just that. This would be a major decision that would change hers and Hiei's lives forever. If she left with him, they would be committed to each other, permanently. She didn't mind that, but Hiei…what did he think? He said he couldn't leave without her, but did her feel for her the same she felt for him?

Her family would be infuriated if they knew she was considering fleeing from the town. Her bag was already packed at home, just because she trusted that Hiei might ask her. Deep down, she already knew what she'd choose. She still just didn't know. She was afraid.

Hiei could see it, and his gaze softened, his hand encompassing hers. Botan's eyes bore into his as she search him in silence. He could already understand where her fear was coming from. It was what he knew of her already. No one knew the real her, no one but him. Likewise, she knew that he wasn't just some beaten and broken man, that he had more fight in him than anyone ever gave him the credit. He wasn't just some worthless vagabond, and he would give this woman everything she desired. He didn't need to tell her this with flowery words. Somehow, she saw his explanation in his gaze without either of them having to voice it.

A sheepish smile graced her features. "Okay."

 _Tired of waiting around  
Now, what are we becoming  
Keep the car running_

In the past, Botan knew it was simple to overlook people when so many took up her attention. She was fairly popular, not really because her father was the principal or her brother was seen as the most eligible guy in the school, most likely to succeed. Actually, she figured many would envy her for that, but that wasn't the case. She was always surrounded by people.

At the end of the day, though, she just liked being with her group of friends, the combination of academics and delinquents. It was where she felt the most at home, after all. Her best friend in the group ended up being a fairly quiet woman, Yukina. She and her brother, Hiei, were twins, separated by circumstances to which Botan was unclear. She never asked, either. The blue-haired teen respected them both far too much for that.

From day one, Hiei was the only one who seemed to detest her, and Botan wondered why that was. She wondered if it was because she was close to her sister, but Yukina assured her that wasn't the case. Kurama elaborated that Hiei just wasn't used to her brand of personality. When she was confused by what she meant, Yusuke jokingly compared her to an angel and him to a demon. Kuwabara had laughed at that, agreeing, but he cooled it down when Yukina lightly admonished him. Botan had still been confused, and Keiko patted her back telling her not to worry about it.

Botan and Hiei rarely ever spent time together except lunch when he actually showed up, barely eating anything before leaving early and some classes. Her father had been wary to let her take any regular courses when she was an honors student, but her final year…she wanted to just relax before college. Besides, she told the man, she would have to take those courses again even if she took the AP courses there, so it felt like a waste of time. The man agreed and told his daughter to do what she wanted, trusting her judgment.

In these classes, her eyes always drifted to Hiei. The teachers always spoke ill of him, sometimes in front of the class. It was clear that Hiei didn't like them, but it was even clearer that none of the teachers liked Hiei either. A frown always marred her features when a derogatory remark left the lips of their superiors and the class laughed. She could always see Hiei's posture become more rigid, his mood falling further. He would never apply himself if they kept behaving that way towards him. She knew he had more to him than that, regardless of his dark mood and behavior.

He looked like he felt trapped. She wanted to free him.

It was as simple as that the day she saw him standing in front of the school, looking out into the rain. Hiei looked so lost in that moment, lost in the thoughts he kept bottled inside of himself. It pained her, seeing that look of desolation, Hiei probably cursing his rotten luck that he didn't have an umbrella today of all days. After all, everyone knew he didn't take the bus. Botan was at least lucky that her younger brother, who acted more like her older, protective brother, would drive her. A light shone in her mind as she thought of this. She could offer Hiei a ride, an olive branch. He may not be used to her brand of personality, but it didn't mean he wasn't deserving of it. The way she saw it, he deserved it more than anyone else.

When he thanked her, even though it was through sarcasm to irritate her brother, she knew she had made the right choice. That's right…she wasn't as clueless as others may have thought.

 _The only answer I know  
Never taking it slow  
Just it keep it coming  
Keep the car running_

When she and Hiei crossed the barriers of camaraderie, becoming actual friends, she was so happy. Hiei was more begrudging over it, but he seemed content. After she told him how she saw him, he softened around her. She listened to him when he offered suggestions on their projects, implementing the ones that complimented them both, and discussing those that probably wouldn't work for those particular projects. She could see in Hiei's eyes that he appreciated being taken seriously instead of shot down at every turn. When they were together, they could be their true selves.

Well, Botan still tried to hide her true self for the longest time. It was on a particularly cloudy, rainy day, when the truth came out.

"You play?"

Botan's attention shot to him so quickly, and she paled when she saw her songbook in his hand. She had a few different songbooks, one for piano and one for percussion. She had instruments, a keyboard and electronic drum set, hidden in her closet, purchased with birthday money her father thought she was saving for college expenses. Downtrodden that she had been found out, she took the books away from Hiei and shoved them under her bed, crossing her arms over her and not meeting his gaze.

Hiei had been confused by her reaction. He told her so another time when they discussed that day. Truthfully, he didn't see the big deal. Honestly, he was impressed, and his question was harmless. But he remembered Botan's words from that day clearly.

"Go on, tell me I'm crazy." Hiei's brow quirked, his perplexed silence deafening the room. Botan chanced to look at him, seeing his bewildered expression. She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry…" she murmured. "I didn't mean to be rude." Hiei was even more confused, not seeing where she had been rude in the slightest. "Just…I didn't want anyone to find out."

"Find out what? That you're a songwriter and play instruments?" Hiei scoffed. "Oh no, alert the presses. Miss Perfect has a blasted hobby."

Botan actually laughed, though she was sure she should feel insulted by the jab. "I'm not perfect, Hiei. No one is." He sobered at that. "Just…have you ever had to uphold this image, just for the sake of someone else? That you had to live their version of life just to make them happy, but that you just want to run away from it all?"

Yes, yes he did, and Hiei was surprised those words were coming out of Botan's mouth. "What do you think?" he countered, wondering what she'd say.

Botan met his gaze with defiant, glimmering eyes. "My father is the principal of my school. My mother was a doctor. She passed away when Koenma and I were young. My father had grand plans for us ever since, but I never wanted to follow in her footsteps. I tried to tell my father once before high school, but when I mentioned mom, he shut down and closed himself off to the discussion. I haven't had the heart to try again."

Hiei had known about her mother. Yukina mentioned something about it once, but Hiei never thought much of it. He hadn't had either of his parents growing up. He empathized with the loss, but he had long since destroyed the part of him that cared about grief. He would shut down too, but not now, for some reason. "He just wants me to have a good life and be able to depend on myself," Botan continued, "and I love him for it, just it's not the way I want it. I really don't know what I want yet. Aside from loving music, I have few other passions, and really, what am I going to do in a town like this with my 'hobby?'"

A giggle escaped her, but Hiei didn't see any of this as a joke. His heart was racing, filling with desire for the woman sitting across from him, someone who was exactly like him, who just wanted to live life on her terms, free of the constraints of others' expectations.

"It's a silly dream, isn't it?" she sighed sadly, not noticing Hiei's heated gaze on her. "I'll never be able to esca-"

Hiei silenced her with his lips, kissing her passionately, his eyes full of unreadable emotions. Botan couldn't remove her eyes from his as ardent touches sparked something within her. She didn't remember much of how they ended up in her bed or when they lost their clothes, becoming one in their desires and dreams, making love. All she remembered was feeling safe and warm after as they drifted off into slumber together, thankful that her father and brother were away for the weekend, looking at colleges for Koenma. She also remembered feeling happy, happier than she had ever been. Hiei was wearing a smile himself, asleep next to her, thoroughly spent.

 _I'm not leaving without you, you're the one I can't lose  
Say goodbye to all the things in life that tried to pull us down  
Yeah, we'll make something out of nothing  
Yeah, yeah keep the car running_

She smiled at Hiei when he looked so surprised at her acceptance of his invitation to start a new journey, and she kissed his lips sweetly, a small peck, to reassure him. It worked, and he softened, his eyes full of love. "I'm not going to leave you," she told him. "You're right. I don't want everything _they_ all want for me. I want adventure, freedom…love. I can only get all of that if I leave with you, and I wouldn't trade it, not even for a life of security. Besides, that's totally boring, right?"

Hiei outright laughed, squeezing her hand in his. "You're really sure about this?"

Botan grinned, her deviant side showing through. "What do you think?" she teased, quoting him from that day months earlier. "Let's go…now."

Hiei nodded, his posture much more languid than before. Just as he was about to go into the car, though, they were hit with a surprise. Many surprises, actually, all wet.

"Quick," Hiei called to her, unlocking the doors. "Get in." They barely made it into the vehicle before a torrential downpour cascaded around the loan car. The two chuckled with mirth, relieved that they were in the nice, warm car, Hiei starting it so they could receive some more heat.

 _We are, we are, we are the start of something new  
Close your eyes and come with me and just hold onto  
We are, we are, we are the only thing that's true  
Just believe it's you and me and know that we can't lose_

In the middle of the storm, Hiei found himself drawn to Botan. There wasn't much else they could do, unable to go anywhere since their visibility was greatly reduced. The couple ended up making out in the car, fervidly, and despite their small confines, they sealed their commitment, once again making love, this time on the hillside of their promise.

Hiei was not foolish. He knew this journey ahead would not be a straightforward path for either of them. They had nothing, really, except their resolve and their love. That was all they really needed, he figured. Botan must have felt the same or she would have never given up her surefire path to be with him wading in uncertainty.

Her acceptance made Hiei happier than he ever thought possible, true happiness that he only ever felt when Botan was with him. He was incredibly lucky that this woman had chosen to brighten his spirit with hers. It felt like they were two halves of the same soul.

Damn, he'd become sentimental.

He looked down to the woman, curled up against his chest, covered up by his jacket. Well, he was only sentimental around her, so that was okay. Kissing her temple, he cuddled her to his body. He knew that he was right where he needed to be.

Whatever challenges they would face, they'd take them on together.

 _Tired of waiting around  
Now, what are we becoming  
Keep the car running_

Botan was trying to sneak back home to get her bag and a few other things when no one was home. Hiei teased her for trying to act like some sort of cheesy detective, breaking and entering into her own home. Her cheeks puffed out, something that only happened when she was angry…which was rare. Everyone was on their way to graduation, and thanks to her clever note, her family would not be there, thinking she was already at the school with Keiko.

She knocked on the door, just to make sure, and received no answer, so she waved Hiei in. Hiei shrugged his shoulders, pushing himself off his car and following her inside. They had only made it into the kitchen before they were caught, Koenma standing against the counter with his arms crossed. The note Botan had left was in his hands.

 _The only answer I know  
Never taking it slow  
Just it keep it coming  
Keep the car running_

"Keiko called last night," her brother told her, eyes narrowing in suspicion when Botan's became full of guilt. "She was looking for you. You didn't stay over." Botan looked panicked and made to speak, but Koenma interrupted. "Don't worry. I didn't tell dad."

Thankfulness filled Botan's heart. Perhaps, she could still get out of there with Hiei without having to explain. Her brother had no clue she was about to run away. "So tell me what the heck I going on here, or I will have to tell."

And that momentary respite was shattered.

Botan's gaze fell to the floor, both men looking to her. "Botan?" Koenma called out, prompting her to answer. Her violet eyes met the amber eyes of her brother. His expression was a little softer before they shifted to Hiei, the two having some kind of stare down.

Hiei crossed his arms and held the challenging gaze. It was then, realization flickered in Koenma's eyes, and they shifted to his sister once again. "Do you really intend to throw your life away? For him?"

Crimson narrowed into slits, Hiei's fists clenching tight. Despite the peace he felt moments before, he now was concerned that Botan's brother could find a way to talk her out of leaving. Where he knew she loved him and he her, it wouldn't be hard for her to be talked down. Not when her brother was involved.

 _I'm not leaving without you, you're the one I can't lose  
Say goodbye to all the things in life that tried to pull us down  
Yeah, we'll make something out of nothing  
Yeah, yeah, keep the car running_

But Botan didn't react the way either male expected, smiling brightly at her brother. "I'm not throwing my life away," she told Koenma, both him and Hiei stunned into silence. "I would be if I decided to stay."

"Botan?"

Her smile became a bit sadder, and Koenma silenced himself. Over the years, he had taken it upon himself to look after his naïve sister. There were so many who followed her around, and the guys who pursued her had no idea how special she truly was, least of all the troublemaker. That's what Koenma thought, actually, but seeing his sister so bright even while feeling a bit sorrowful, made him want to listen to the woman.

"I'm in love with Hiei," she admitted to her brother. "He's not the guy you all see. I always saw something in him from the beginning, something special and safe. I trust him with my life, and I know what we plan won't be easy. But I don't want easy. School, that was easy, because I didn't care about it like dad wanted me to. Mom…she always said that anything worth having in life wasn't easy. I believe her. This new life, being with Hiei…it's all worth it to me, and I'll go whether you understand or not."

Hiei was struck speechless, gaping at the woman, startled by her declaration. The way she spoke…it sounded like she had always known, deep down, that she'd take her leave with him wherever he went. Koenma seemed to come to this same conclusion, and eventually the brunette smiled, accepting the unconventional relationship. "You better stay in contact with me," he warned, and Botan nodded, accepting the condition. Tan eyes shifted to Hiei once more and narrowed. "You better take care of my sister," he demanded.

For the first time, Hiei wasn't offended. "I will," he promised.

 _We are, we are, we are the start of something new  
Keep the car running  
We are, we are, we are the only thing that's true  
Keep the car running_

Botan giggled when she and Hiei finally jumped into the car. They had just spent the past half hour gathering her important belongings, including her musical equipment. Hiei didn't even care how many trips they needed to make or anything. Koenma had given them more time, promising to stall their father. By the time Enma knew anything, Hiei and Botan would be long gone.

Hiei started the car, the engine revving to life and sounding like music to both teenagers' ears.

They exchanged eager glances, grinning excitedly at each other.

"You ready?" Hiei asked her.

A nod was his answer. "Always."

And with that, they were running out of that town, together, starting their new journey no matter the trials they would face.


	14. Restful Evening

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

This is my next submission for Hiei X Botan Week on Tumblr. I hope this turned out well. I didn't have as much time to work on it as I wanted yesterday, so, you know, two entries today XD The other one will come not in the middle of the night XD

Day Three Prompt: Family

* * *

It had been an absolutely _long_ week in Spirit World, so much so that Botan collapsed in her bed at the end of her day. She was completely drained from her flying around the realms, and a bit downtrodden with all of the cases she faced. Her mind, body, and soul needed a breather from the intensity and darkness of her ferrying position. It was weeks such as these that made Botan so physically and emotionally exhausted.

She was fading fast when she heard her compact go off. Groaning, she slipped off her bed to answer it. A sleepy smile graced her features when she saw Yusuke on the screen. "Hello, detective," she teased. "What's going on?"

Yusuke laughed boisterously. "Oh jeez, cut the crap Botan," he joked. "What are you up to tonight?"

Botan's eyes drifted to her bed, but Yusuke didn't know. "Nothing really. I just got off, though, so I'm beat. Why?"

"I finally did it."

Purple eyes shot open as her mouth gaped before she grinned with unbridled joy. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You and Keiko must be so happy."

A chuckle escaped the former detective as he gently flicked the underside of his nose. "Yeah, yeah…I kept her waiting long enough. I know. In any case, we're all meeting at the restaurant and I wanted you there. Everyone's coming. We're still having trouble locating Hiei, though."

Botan blushed slightly. Honestly, she didn't know where Hiei had been. Tensions had been high between them lately, but she was hopeful he'd be back eventually. Come to think of it, maybe that was the reason she had completely overworked herself, to busy herself while she let the dust settle between them. "I see," she replied. "Well, I just need a few minutes and then I'll be on my way."

"Cool," Yusuke said fondly. "See you soon, reaper!"

The ferry girl disconnected and laughed at the old nickname Yusuke had given her. She was honestly so happy for him and Keiko. They had been put through the ringer, survived every test and trial that could have ended their relationship. Now, Yusuke had finally, truly proposed. Her best friends were engaged!

"I didn't take you for the lazy type," a heatless voice declared.

Botan shot up, her eyes shifted to her window. She relaxed when she saw Hiei standing above her. Her tired smile didn't fade. "Hey," she greeted airily. "I…didn't expect to see you." Hiei answered with a shrug and jumped down from her sill. "What are you doing here?"

Well, if that wasn't a loaded question. It had been weeks, nearly a month, since he and Botan had watched the sunset together and shared that impromptu kiss. Though Hiei had wanted to kiss the woman in that moment, the aftershocks left him feeling beyond overwhelmed. He was no stranger to the opposite sex, but everything that he thought he knew was different with the ferry girl. He did not like different.

However, he had some time to process his bizarre infatuation with the ferry girl, chalking it up to thankfulness, if nothing else. He dared not, at this point, think it could be anything more than a fleeting moment. He was certain the woman had her head in the clouds given the obnoxious song that flared in her mind after the incident.

Wait, why did he come again?

Botan was staring at Hiei with tired eyes, starting to drift off again. A peace overcame her when Hiei appeared in her room, a wave of relief drowning her. For a moment she forgot Yusuke's call, and she pulled the fire demon out of his dissonant thoughts. "We need to go!" she exclaimed, alarmed.

Hiei's brow furrowed, eyeing the drained woman. When she materialized her oar in the middle of her room, the fire demon knew she was crazy. She boarded her flying stick and then looked to Hiei expectantly. He remained frozen in place. "Come on, now," she pleaded. "I don't want to be late."

"Woman," Hiei growled, "you're a fool to believe I'd get on that contraption of yours when you can hardly stay awake."

A giggle grated on his eardrums. "Oh, don't worry," Botan attempted to assure him. "I've been tired all week and it's been okay. I promise I'll fly safe."

Hiei's expression grew flat. "That doesn't help your case."

"Pretty please?" the woman tried, looking at him with those soft, purple eyes again.

Sighing in reluctance, Hiei got on and the two were on their way to Human World.

* * *

Botan had kept true to her word, getting them to the Yukimura restaurant in one piece. Unfortunately, it had drained Botan of even more energy, and she nearly stumbled. Hiei noticed and felt a glimmer of concern for the woman. How was she still standing?

"Hey, you made it!" Yusuke greeted, not noticing Botan's predicament. Actually, brown eyes were on him and wide. "And you brought Hiei! Where'd you find him?"

A yawn escaped Botan before she said, "He was just there." A cryptic enough answer for Hiei to avoid questioning. For that, the fire demon was thankful. He was also impressed she could think of something that quickly while completely spent.

How the ferry girl was able to eat dinner, talk with everyone in the group, and gush over Keiko's engagement ring he would never know.

Once everyone had settled in, and after the excitement had passed, Hiei found himself seated beside Botan, watching the group as if on the outside. Botan had been observing everyone, letting the joy lull her to a peaceful sleep. She hadn't realized that she had drifted off almost completely.

Hiei's body froze at sudden contact, his gaze snapping to his shoulder where the ferry girl's head hit. It seemed she had reached her limit, and therefore they'd both be stuck there, but strangely enough that didn't bother Hiei. He shook his head, ridding himself of that dangerous thought. Then, out of nowhere, the woman murmured something in her sleep.

"Hm," Botan sighed in contentment, eyeing the others from her spot on the fire demon's shoulder. The sound of her breath earned his attention. "Our family."

Hiei blinked a few times, unable to remove his eyes from the sleeping woman, his expression softening. The woman leaning on his should really was a sentimental fool.

* * *

A/N: And now it is time for me to sleep too. I'll be back with prompt four later! Night!


	15. Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Okay, here's today's actual prompt, secrets. I'm going to try to get the next three drabbles at least written. This weekend is my mom's birthday weekend, and we're going to be out of town starting tomorrow. I don't know how to upload on my Ipad so I might try a test page later XD Or maybe try to upload this one from there. No, yup…definitely going to try to upload it from there and see what happens XD

I'm rambling…

Anyway, Prompt 4: Secret

* * *

Botan never liked keeping secrets. Well, actually, it was downright impossible. The longest secret she had ever kept with her blabbermouth tendencies was Hiei's siblingship with Yukina. That was mainly out of self-preservation. Hiei always seemed to tune in at all her close calls, death threats communicated through telepathy. Sometimes the fire demon could be downright frightening.

In any case, this secret was more precious, something she wasn't yet ready to share. It wasn't because she was ashamed or didn't want her friends to know, but it was hers. That kiss she and Hiei shared meant more to her than she thought, even in the moment. Being away from him for so long highlighted it. Eventually, he started coming around the apartment again, and Botan stopped overworking herself. Everything was normal between them again.

Only it wasn't.

The ferry girl had always admired Hiei and his determined fire. He was dependable, loyal, and he always showed up when it counted. No matter how small that all seemed to him, it was everything to Botan. Even letting her sleep on his shoulder when she was wiped out meant so much to her. He'd never let anyone else get away with doing something like that.

It made her feel special.

Honestly, so did his kiss.

If she was being upfront with herself, the reason she wanted to keep this secret was because it was just between the two of them, something that no one else could affect. No one as practical or childish of some of her friends could talk them out of it or tease them. Botan already knew she was playing a dangerous game with her occasional roommate.

She always did like playing with fire.

* * *

Hiei had many secrets, most of which had to do with his past and family. He locked them deep inside his psyche, frustrated when they decided to surface. It had been happening fewer and fewer since Yukina expressed her knowledge of the truth. Maybe those memories resurfaced out of his guilt. He would never know.

In any case, he was no stranger to the art of keeping secrets. It was simple. He just didn't speak. It wasn't until Mukuro forced his thoughts out of him that he had actual, beating around the bush discussions about them. Even so, he tried to keep his relationship with Mukuro strictly professional with a hint of understanding and camaraderie that he didn't share with too many. She was far too meddlesome in his affairs.

With the ferry girl, it was different. She actually asked him questions, mainly through curiosity, but her seemingly innocent questions and remarks pulled up deeper truths that caused Hiei to think about his own emotions and how he handled them. She was wiser than he thought, but it wasn't really wisdom. For her, she just spoke whatever flowery words came to mind at the precise, right moment. Most of the time, they were words Hiei didn't want but needed to hear. He was loathe to admit that she was usually right.

She had so much insight to him now that being in her presence was oddly comforting. No one in their circle learned of any of what they've discussed or bizarre things they did save the fox since he had run into them on their spa day. It was possible his guarded tendencies were rubbing off on her, but it could also just be that she respected him and his boundaries.

Then he crossed his own boundary.

Hiei had never been one for affectionate gestures. The only being awarded those leniencies was his sister. Slowly, he found himself doing things he wouldn't normally do. He always seemed to seek that woman out lately, felt at home in the safe house that was becoming more and more their home every day. It was different, confusing, and his desire to kiss that woman in that blasted tree was even more so.

What was she doing to him?

He should have been alarmed that anyone had gotten under his skin the way Botan had, should have wanted to crush all of these pesky delusions, but he found that he didn't want to. Instead, he returned to old habits, keeping the secret of their kiss to himself and hoping that the ferry girl would do the same. He wouldn't threaten her to do it either. For some reason, he trusted she wouldn't say anything, not now at least. Damn, he was becoming soft.

Perhaps it was the ferry girl who was rubbing off on him.


	16. Nightingale

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

This drabble is inspired by my buddy, dragoscilvio, who just happened to suggest something that tied into this prompt, and I love it! Thanks friend ^_^

Day 5: Injured/Healing

* * *

Hiei mentally cursed himself. He had been entirely foolish, unleashing the dragon at such a critical junction of a battle. It had been what he assumed to be an inconsequential foe, someone from Mukuro's barracks who wanted his position as general. Accepting his challenge had been his first mistake.

Underestimating him had been his second. The demon in question was a sociopath no one in Mukuro's stronghold took seriously, including Hiei. Where he was wordy and aggravating, no one really knew anything about his strength. Hiei guessed it was nowhere near his level. After all, the idiot never used it during training sessions. The fire demon thought him to be an arrogant fool. His strength, though, was that of an upper A class. Fighting him proved difficult since Hiei went into battle ill-prepared. He hated that.

His third mistake was letting the bastard overtake him. No, Hiei was far from beaten. He was stronger than his opponent, but the demon had tricks up his sleeve that one with an honor code wouldn't see coming even if he was used to backstabbing from his thieving days. Countering was not always an option, and Hiei sustained quite a bit of damage.

His fourth mistake was letting his anger get the best of him.

His fifth mistake followed that, and he used the darkness technique to end the sorry excuse for a warrior once and for all.

The sixth mistake was that he had taken the battle too far from Mukuro's stronghold, but he was close enough to a portal. His seventh mistake was letting his mind wander to Human World, thoughts of the women flooding him at such a dire moment.

He jumped in without a second thought, bleeding out and exhausted from his fight. He wasn't thinking when he did. All he wanted was to see Botan in that moment. He dared not think why.

* * *

Botan was humming some random tune when she noticed that it had gotten rather dark. She had lost track of time, cleaning the apartment since she hadn't been there in a while. It had gotten rather dusty, something she did not like. So she spent the day tidying up hers and Hiei's rooms, the living room, kitchen, everything. She was sure it would be a big surprise for Hiei when he finally visited again. The last time they were there, they both kept sneezing. A giggle escaped the ferry girl as she wiped her brow. She had spent the whole day cleaning and now she was exhausted and ready to turn in.

She never got the chance.

A loud clunk outside the door to the apartment stole her attention. It sounded like someone had fallen into the door. Quickly, Botan went to check it out, and she was shocked by what she found. Hiei was kneeling, on the ground, and breathing heavily. His eyes looked heavy and he was sporting a large gash. Botan's eyes widened in shock. Her mind became paralyzed.

Crimson eyes landed on hers.

Hiei looked like he wanted to say something, but all that came out was an strangled cry before he collapsed right in front of her, his energy completely depleted from using the dragon. He had barely made it to the apartment. Botan continued to gape, still stunned. Funnily enough, the only thing she could think to say in this situation was, "I…cleaned out apartment…?"

* * *

It was hours later, and Botan had finally broken out of her daze and healed all of Hiei's injuries. They were all superficial, thankfully, just normal wounds anyone would sustain from a particularly spirited fight. He had suffered and endured worse, so much so that Botan wondered why he was so wiped out. Her eyes shifted to his bandaged arm. She sort of had an idea.

A sigh escaped the ferry girl as she brushed Hiei's bangs back. He had given her quite a scare showing up in such a state. Once she had overcome the shock, she had made to move him to the couch, and then she got to work on his injuries. When he didn't wake up, she knew it was most likely for the same reason he passed out after his fight with Bui and fell during his fight with Mukuro. Despite mastering the Dragon of Darkness Flame, it used up a considerable amount of his energy meaning he would fall into hibernation shortly after using it. He knew this, yet he still put himself in danger time and time again.

She had decide to keep vigil over Hiei until he got his strength back. Where she had no doubt he finished off whatever enemy he faced, she was still concerned. Seeing him so vulnerable was sobering. It reminded her of so many others times she had seen just a normal being and not his tough and guarded persona, that she had seen him both at his best and at his worst, and it churned her stomach thinking that anyone could come to try and take advantage of the situation.

It wasn't her job to protect him. She knew that's exactly what he would see if awake. He'd also mumble how he didn't need her assistance. There would probably be some frustration with the fact that his head was resting on her lab and that she was coddling him. She heard it all before, and yet for some reason he came to her when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable point. She blushed at that thought. She didn't dare think that maybe Hiei actually _wanted_ to see her.

No, that would be ridiculous.

But she wanted it to be true.


	17. Bickering

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Okay, so this if for Day 6's prompt, Nature/Tournament. I went the tournament route. There's a reason! LOL!

So here we go!

* * *

Botan had seen many gruesome things in her day. She was technically the grim reaper, after all. It didn't mean that she was a fan of violence. Sure, she watched her friends fight on a regular basis. There were times where it was exciting to see. Then, the adrenaline would wear of and she would be hit with the reality that her friends could have been hurt…or worse.

After she had ferried Genkai's soul to the afterlife, she was an emotional wreck. Truthfully, she was supposed to be impartial when it came to the lives of mortals, sympathetic yes, but impartial. She knew exactly how to deal with strangers. Yusuke had been a stranger to start, and they had bonded when he went through the ordeal to get his life back. It was the first time Botan had ever bonded with her charges. Then she was assigned to help the spirit detective do his job and gained many more friends along the way.

The fights she knew they'd win were exciting. The ones where she didn't know the outcomes she was stressed and anxious. She did not want to lose anyone she had grown to care about, and she did not want to be the one to take them to Spirit World. It was too hard.

Watching Hiei fight was both exhilarating and terrifying. He was very precise with every move, but he also wasn't opposed to letting himself get injured as long as he reached his final goal. The fire demon appeared to enjoy each bout, regardless of any injuries he sustained. This was the second Demon World Tournament, and of course she had accompanied Koenma mainly to watch her friends fight. All of their fights had been brutal, even Kuwabara's. Surprisingly enough he had gone to participate and wasn't barred entry.

What was she thinking about again?

Oh, Hiei's fight. That's what they were currently watching, and he had already sustained plenty of flesh wounds in his previous scrapes. It was getting closer and closer to the semifinals, and Hiei already looked like he had been through the ringer, but he still fought. She really hoped he'd be okay. In his exhaustion, though, she noticed that his movements were becoming less fluid than she was used to seeing, and he already had so many close calls. She was starting to get nervous.

What if he couldn't dodge one of the attacks? What if he got hurt? What if the competitor didn't care about Yusuke's request in the previous tournament about no killing? What if-?

 _Ferry girl,_ she heard a hiss in her mind, taking her breath away. How long had Hiei been listening? _You worry too much. Now shut up and let me fight!_

Botan's brow now furrowed in fury, her expression reflecting her indignation. She couldn't believe he had not only been in her mind but then gotten mad at her for feeling concern over him. _No_ , she fought back, and she could picture Hiei mentally cringing and even saw him grimace at that moment as he clashed blades with his opponent. _You shouldn't be looking into my thoughts while you're fighting, mister. I can't control my concerns, so you just have to deal with them._

She saw the fire demon nearly trip in the ring, narrowly avoiding a strike by the other fighter. _You're infuriating,_ she heard a growl before there was silence.

Botan crossed her arms and huffed, pouting as she watched. She still wanted Hiei to win his fight and be safe, but now she was just a little cross with him. If he sustained an injury because her thoughts and his childish bickering distracted him then it was his own fault.

"Hmph," she murmured, earning a strange look from Koenma. The Spirit World prince couldn't help but wonder what had her so furious about watching Hiei fight. He shook his head to dismiss the thoughts. Sometimes his chief ferry girl could be really strange.


	18. Acceptance

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters.

So this is actually going out of order from the **Dream Big Sequence** prompts I have for myself based on these quotes. It was actually supposed to be the fourth in the sequence, but instead it is now a piece for Hiei X Botan Week on Tumblr. Today's prompt is Free Day, which I thought this would fit in perfectly and give me a chance to finally write an idea I already have. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

" _Believe you can and you're halfway there."_ \- Theodore Roosevelt

* * *

He was an imiko, a child of fire, a destroyer, a creature who deserved to die. That was the curse placed upon his birth, a story to which Hiei had lived accordingly. He was sentenced to death, destined to ruin everything he touched.

He could never love or be loved.

That's what the fire demon had taken from the cold-hearted village. It was what he believed for the longest time, and he never cared. He was never disappointed that love was not a tangible object for him. It didn't bother him to be reviled by his victims and enemies. Most of the time, he'd kill anyone who came into his path, so it never mattered.

It never bothered him that he had barely an inkling of love, either. He knew he cared about his sister and her happiness. He was loyal to his team. He would lay his life on the line for those whom he deemed worthy. He didn't believe that was considered love.

When he first started feeling attached to the ferry girl, he couldn't figure out what exactly he was feeling. He cared about her wellbeing and happiness, never wanting to see sadness taint her eyes. She wasn't his sister. He felt loyal to her, mostly because of a debt, but it shouldn't have felt deeper than the loyalty he felt to the team. She wasn't a part of it. Never did he consider her a part of it, just some Spirit World nuisance. He knew that he would lay his life on the line for her. She was not a worthy fighter. She was weak, not designed for battle.

If something were to happen to her, he knew he'd feel that same pesky concern she seemed to feel towards him. He didn't deserve it.

His mind wandered back to the times he had been tuned into her thoughts. Back during the Dark Tournament, it was due to concerns that she would out his secret. He was right to be concerned. Lately, it was for a completely different reason, and he could now admit it to himself. He actually _enjoyed_ seeing what the woman was up to when he wasn't around, actually _liked_ the sound of her voice. Even her internal voice could relax him at times. Sure, there were moments where he couldn't stand her frantic concerns or idiotic humming, but he realized it wasn't because he disliked it. He just wasn't used to it. Well, that was only partially true. He could do without her silly songs.

After nearly a century, after he had broken completely free of his past, after doing something worthwhile by accepting the position as Mukuro's general, Hiei was starting to realize that the Curse of the Forbidden Child was nothing but empty words. He had already disproven their words, finding those who trusted him, forming close and almost familial-like bonds with them. His sister accepted him into her heart, loved him far more than he believed he deserved. He had become less and less destructive over the years, except in battle. The fire demon was beginning to believe in the possibility that he _could_ have a relationship more than friendship with the woman. It didn't matter that they were from different worlds. He was being pulled to her regardless of his own desires anyway, and he never cared for Spirit World ideologies regarding demons.

It was a warm night when he and the ferry girl ended up alone in the park, lying on the grass and looking up at the stars. They had felt like getting out of the apartment. Botan had actually been the one to suggest going for a walk. Hiei just shrugged and followed. His gaze shifted to her, and he was determined to finally make his feelings known.

He couldn't even form the words…period.

At first, it left him feeling irritated with himself, but then he realized something that had never hit him. He didn't have to say anything, not now anyway. He could simply accept that everything was fine between them. He already accepted that he could have something with Botan despite what he had always believed thanks to the heartless maidens. To him, that meant he had already won his biggest battle.

Deciding this, he realized that there was no need for him to rush. For now this was enough. After all, he had an eternity to sort out what he truly wanted for the woman. His eyes never left her, but his brow furrowed. No, it wouldn't be an eternity. He wouldn't make her wait that long.


	19. First Time

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

So, I had a fleeting idea, but it's set for way later in the course of a HXB relationship. It's been a while since I wrote a disconnected drabble that doesn't seem to follow the mini get together story I've laid in this drabble series XD. Hey, I'm rambling again! XD

Anyways…

ONWARD!

* * *

When he brought her to the middle of nowhere, Botan had no idea what Hiei wanted from her. As he practically pounced on her, the fire demon's intention became a bit clearer. At first, Hiei simply kissed her, Botan's back pressed against a tree. She had giggled at the sensation of Hiei's surprisingly gentle fingers grazing her sides. Then he started to remove the outer layer of her kimono and Botan's eyes shot open in surprise.

She nearly shrieked in his mouth, pushing Hiei off of her. Irritated pools of crimson bore into her, and he was completely unamused. He made to resume their make-out session, but Botan stopped him again. This time, he growled his frustrations. "What?" came his hiss, and Botan blushed and her eyes filled with guilt.

"I…I…" She scrambled to think of a response. To be honest, it wasn't that she was opposed to Hiei's ministrations, but there was something bothering her. She closed her eyes and yelled out her concerns. "I don't want my first time to be against a tree!"

Hiei flashed her his usual impassive gaze of boredom before he monotonously grumbled, "And I suppose you'd prefer a bed in a place with paper-thin walls?"

"Or at least something softer!" the ferry girl protested. Before she knew it, her head hit the ground, and she had Hiei's form covering hers. They were on the ground in a pile of leaves.

The fire demon was smirking his both infuriating and sexy smirk. "Better?" he crooned.

Botan flashed him a heatless glare. "Hiiiieeeiiii!" The woman whined and squirmed underneath him, and that only served to amuse Hiei. Like she could actually move him when he didn't want to be. "I'm going to get all dirty."

Hiei's smirk became a cocky grin. "That's already a given, woman."

"That's-"

The fire demon crashed his lips to hers once again, gently sucking on her lower lip. He swallowed both her moans of protest and passion, and eventually she stopped fighting him. As he began to undo the outer layer of her attire, she did pull away for a moment to warn him that they were in public, but Hiei didn't care. He wanted his woman, here and now, and nothing was going to stop him.

"Oh my God!"

Except for the voice of the oaf who had come completely out of nowhere.

Botan had seen Hiei move fast before, but he was off of her like lightening, leaning against the tree with his arms crossed as if they hadn't been caught in a compromising position. He looked completely serious, a light dusting of red to his cheeks, as he stared down the redheaded psychic. Kuwabara looked like he'd been the one caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. "If you value your life," Hiei spoke darkly, "then you will speak of this to no one."

Kuwabara sputtered, careful not to eye Botan or remove his eyes from Hiei. "Y-You can't…" he began to say, but Hiei's eyes never changed. The psychic started to back away, holding his hands up in defense. "I saw nothing," he stated, voice tight with embarrassment. With that, the oaf did the smart thing and turned tail, leaving an embarrassed ferry girl and irate fire demon alone in the woods.

It looked like this wouldn't be their first time after all.


	20. Ice Cream Mess

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

Hey, all! I was in the mood to write a drabble, and wouldn't you know my friend **Just 2 Dream Of You** showed me some inspiration. It was a series of sketches by **askyourfriendbotan** on Tumblr, of Botan getting the guys some ice cream and what ensued after. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. The sketch series was adorable!

* * *

It was a hot, summer day, completely stale and humid. The heat was so intense that they were warned to stay inside for the past couple of days. Botan continued to fan herself, wearing practically nothing in the apartment. She was thankful for her air conditioner, but it didn't seem to chase away the heat. By mid-afternoon, though, clouds started to form and broke the heatwave. Now, the weather was beautiful. Botan's communication mirror rang, and her brow quirked in surprise. Who would be calling her?

A smile graced her features where she saw a face she hadn't seen in a while. "Yusuke!" she chimed happily.

"Yo, Botan, what's up?" her friend greeted.

Botan looked around and shrugged. "Nothing much," she told him. "Just trying to beat this heat."

"No kidding," Yusuke laughed. "Kuwabara and I have been holed up at his place all day. We're bored now."

"Are you?" Botan retorted sarcastically. "Does that mean you're looking to do something?"

"You've got it."

Botan shook her head. She knew Yusuke so well. "You know, I've been thinking about ice cream all day," she admitted. "Why do we go to the park and get some?"

"Sounds like a plan. We'll meet you there."

As the small screen went dark, Botan clamped the compact shut, and surprisingly she found her sporadic, fire demon roommate staring back at her. As unaware as she was to her reaction, her smile widened and her eyes sparkled with warmth. "Hiei!"

"Woman," he replied in greeting. "What was that about?"

Her expression softened as she explained, "There was a heat advisory today, and no one could go anywhere. I guess Yusuke and Kuwabara were feeling a little stir crazy. We're going out for ice cream. Would you like to join us?"

Hiei eyed the woman for a moment, her genuine, unbridled grin doing him in. Honestly, he really had no desire to go out when he had just gotten there. Usually, they just sat together in a silent yet comfortable state with inane, human programming on in the background on nights he arrived, Botan either cooking or ordering takeout. It had been a while since he was back in Human World, and Hiei had grown comfortable in their routine. Still, he was too prideful to ask for time alone with her, and he had no intention of putting a damper on her mood or crush her hopes.

"Whatever," he grumbled, and Botan laughed with mirth over his reaction. That sound was music to Hiei's ears. It had been far too long, he realized. His inner thoughts were too sentimental for his tastes.

"Great, just let me get changed, and we'll go!"

* * *

The raucous laughter of his two human comrades was grating on Hiei's ears. He sent them a glare for the disruption of peace. It didn't matter that Yusuke was part demon. He still acted like the oaf sometimes, both laughing at some pathetic joke the redhead heard from another. The fire demon rolled his eyes at the nonsense.

"Here you go, boys," Botan chimed happily coming back with ice cream cones for each of them. She gave Yusuke his vanilla cone and Kuwabara's his chocolate. Then, she held out some pink cone to Hiei, and he eyed it skeptically, questioning what she was giving him.

He made the mistake of looking at her beaming face, her smile making the air around her seemingly sparkle. She was always so bright, wherever she went. Hiei caught himself wondering many times if it was due to her place in Spirit World or if it was due to whatever feelings he was harboring towards her. And he didn't even want to _think_ about how he was trying to force his eyes not to check her out in her three-quarter sleeve top the exposed the skin of her belly. He snatched the cone away from her before his eyes could dart lower.

He looked down to the pink, confectionary treat as Botan began to eat her cookie butter cone. Hiei was, again, skeptical on whatever this brightly colored flavor would be. But, he realized, Botan had picked it out for him, and if anyone knew his tastes, it was her. A small smile made its way to his features without him noticing it, and he was about to take a tentative lick.

He made two mistakes…one, not being completely aware of his surroundings, and two, standing next to Yusuke.

As Hiei got closer to eating his "sweet snow," a term he had given the treat the last time Botan had bought any for the apartment, he found it splattered in his face, the former detective having found it appropriate to push the cone upward.

Hiei sent him a heated, murderous glare. Both he and the oaf were laughing at him. He was ready to end those two when Botan came over to him and gently wiped away some of the pink cream with her finger. She then gave her own finger a lick, and Hiei found it to be a tantalizing sight. "Mm, this is good," she told him. "Let's get you cleaned up, and I'll get you another one."

Hiei merely nodded, not trusting his own voice in that moment. Botan took his hand and brought him along with her, leaving their two friends confused as they stared at them. Then, when they were by the ice cream cart, she took some napkins and had the salesman wet them so Hiei and Botan could clean his face. Then she smiled brightly at the cart owner. "Another strawberry cone, please."

The fire demon's eyes widened as he took her in, surprised she remembered. It was months back when strawberry season was in, and Botan had gone a little overboard at the orchard. She bought a couple crates, and she and Hiei kept finding different ways to use the strawberries, in salads, in smoothies, in cookies, etc. Hiei thought he would have gotten sick of the flavor, but honestly he enjoyed everything they made. And the woman remembered.

She handed Hiei the ice cream cone, and he took it as if in slow motion. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

A brow quirked in response. "What about the other idiots?"

"They can handle themselves for now," Botan decided, especially after they played such a juvenile joke on Hiei when he had just gotten here. "I'd rather have some downtime with you before we go back to deal with their rowdy, childish behavior. Besides, they need to get it out since they were inside all day, and I really don't want to be their next victim."

Hiei smirked, but said nothing, agreeing with everything she just said. So, he just walked beside her in stride, not caring where they went. As much as he had wanted to just stay in with her like usual, he had to admit this was nice too. Hiei grimaced momentarily. His thoughts really were getting _way_ too sentimental, but only with her.


	21. Lazy Days

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

* * *

The pitter-patter of raindrops could be heard outside, the only sound in the apartment aside from a ticking clock, turning pages, and cloth wiping against metal. It was just an ordinary, lazy day, a rare occurrence for both the ferry girl and fire demon. Botan sighed as she stretched back against the couch, enjoying her day off from ferrying.

Like clockwork, Hiei had arrived in the morning, walking out of his room silently, his presence "announced." Botan had stopped being surprised by his impromptu visits. She had even taken the liberty of changing his sheets and dusting out the vacant room when she awoke to the sound of thunder. The storm was vicious, too tumultuous for her to dare to fly. She alerted Koenma that she would be staying in. Then, she went about her business, knowing Hiei would show up eventually.

When Hiei reached the apartment, he quickly flitted into the tree beside the guest bedroom window. As he expected, the window was unlocked, and entering was hardly an issue. Once inside, he got out of his wet garments, tossing them into a balled pile with his wet boots. There were spare clothes in the closet, human apparel, but the clothing reflected his tastes. His mouth pressed into a firm line, still wary of the reasons for the woman's misplaced kindness.

He settled for a pair of gray sweats and a black t-shirt, and then exited the room, finding the woman humming along in the kitchen washing dishes. She was wearing one of her obnoxiously colored pajama bottoms with one of her sinfully tight spaghetti strap tops. Hiei grimaced, but approached the woman anyway. His eyes found their way to the two plates of pancakes on the table, and he felt an odd sensation of satisfaction at the thought that the ferry girl was preparing for his arrival. It was their unspoken rule that he would need shelter whenever he was visiting the human world and the weather turned sour. Of course, she didn't know that Hiei had been in Human World for no other reason than he knew it would rain.

The woman turned to face him and flashed him another of her luminous smiles, attempting to engage him in some sort of conversation before the two ate their breakfast. Listening to her prattle on each time he arrived was something the fire demon had grown used to, and though he barely answered back, the ferry girl didn't seem to mind.

It was like that all day, though they had fallen into a comfortable silence. After Botan had cleaned up, the two had found themselves settled in the living room. Hiei had taken to polishing his sword, his focus on the blade. Botan was reading her new mystery thriller, one that Shizuru had recommended to her. Neither felt compelled to do much, even if Botan was normally quite the chatty one. Honestly, they were both content with the peaceful ambience of the room, the meditative sound of the rain filling stillness.


End file.
